Tucson, AZ vs Boston, MA
Moving from Tucson to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($343,580 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.
Tucson 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 Tucson, AZ, you'd need about $116,286 in Boston, MA (+$16,286).
Livability — Tucson, AZ: 70 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,693 sqft in Tucson vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($186 vs $436 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Tucson, AZ | Boston, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,676 | $38,532 | +$20,856 |
| Groceries | $4,841 | $5,040 | +$199 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $3,210 | −$750 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $3,180 | +$1,512 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,800 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $7,594 | $17,694 | +$10,100 |
| Total | $37,539 | $69,455 | +$31,917 |
Side by side
| Metric | Tucson, AZ | Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.9 | 110.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.87% | 5.02% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.5% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 43 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $6.28 |
| Median home price | $343,580 | $741,868 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.3× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.1% | 1.6% |
| Price per square foot | $186 | $436 |
| Median rent | $1,473 | $3,211 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |