Cost of living comparison
Boston is 14.3% more expensive than California.
If you lived in Boston instead of California, you would:
pay 12.0% more for restaurants
|
California
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.02
|
$22.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.52
|
$12.55
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.71
|
$3.14
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.16
|
$2.56
|
|
pay 22.9% more for groceries
|
California
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.14
|
$4.39
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.95
|
$9.48
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.61
|
$4.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.33
|
$4.43
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.70
|
$6.22
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.34
|
$2.50
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$1.02
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$3.23
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$3.19
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.39
|
$2.08
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.44
|
$1.72
|
|
pay 2.4% more for transportation
|
California
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.83
|
$3.64
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.05
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,005.28
|
$32,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.07
|
$16.62
|
|
pay 12.0% more for housing
|
California
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.54
|
$70.88
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,371.29
|
$3,280.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,055.18
|
$2,453.85
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.68
|
$148.96
|
|
pay 12.6% more for childcare
|
California
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,682.51
|
$2,428.57
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,905.75
|
$25,000.00
|
|
pay 18.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.34
|
$5.79
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.91
|
$13.83
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$66.35
|
$86.18
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.41
|
$16.00
|
|
pay 20.1% more for clothing
|
California
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.77
|
$64.32
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.15
|
$43.83
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.15
|
$98.17
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$117.31
|
$157.18
|
|
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