Savannah, GA vs Boston, MA
Moving from Savannah to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($348,054 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.
Savannah vs Boston at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Savannah, GA, you'd need about $115,103 in Boston, MA (+$15,103).
Livability — Savannah, GA: 68 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,945 sqft in Savannah vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($170 vs $436 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Savannah, GA | Boston, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,504 | $38,532 | +$17,028 |
| Groceries | $4,815 | $5,040 | +$224 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $3,210 | −$305 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $3,180 | +$1,524 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,800 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $10,322 | $17,694 | +$7,372 |
| Total | $43,912 | $69,455 | +$25,543 |
Side by side
| Metric | Savannah, GA | Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.9 | 110.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.07% | 5.02% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 7.7% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 43 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.46 | $6.28 |
| Median home price | $348,054 | $741,868 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.9× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.6% | 1.6% |
| Price per square foot | $170 | $436 |
| Median rent | $1,792 | $3,211 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.94% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |