Where you live now
BostonUnited States
$4,609
per month
Cost of living: Boston vs New York
Choose where you live now and another city. You'll see what a normal month costs in each: rent, food, transport, bills and going out.
Household
Rent
Popular:London vs New YorkLisbon vs LondonHong Kong vs SingaporeNew York vs TokyoBerlin vs LondonDubai vs London
New York is 23% more expensive than Boston.
Monthly cost for one person, renting in the city centre. Includes rent, food, transport, bills and going out.
City to compare
New YorkUnited States
$5,691
per month
Monthly costs by category
Show amounts in
| Category | Boston | New York | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | 3,300 | 4,300 | +30% |
| Groceries | 405 | 424 | +5% |
| Eating out | 366 | 398 | +9% |
| Getting around | 147 | 158 | +7% |
| Bills | 248 | 262 | +5% |
| Going out | 118 | 126 | +6% |
| Clothes | 24 | 24 | +2% |
| Total per month | 4,609 | 5,691 | +23% |
New York is 23% more expensive than Boston for one person renting in the city centre. The biggest gap is rent (+30%); clothes is the closest (+2%). Someone spending $4,609 a month in Boston would need about $5,691 in New York for the same lifestyle. Rent takes 76% of the monthly budget in New York and 72% in Boston.
New York: no reports yet, so these numbers are starting estimates from the city's overall price level.How this is calculated
Prices
Everyday prices in New York
The typical price people paid recently, and how it compares with Boston. "Estimated" means we don't have many reports yet.
Show amounts in
| Item | Typical price | What people paid | vs Boston | Reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cappuccino, regularEstimated | $5.50 | +9% vs Boston | 0 reports | |
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurantEstimated | $25.00 | +9% vs Boston | 0 reports | |
| Monthly public transport passEstimated | $132 | +7% vs Boston | 0 reports | |
| 1-bedroom flat, city centreEstimated | $4,300 | +30% vs Boston | 0 reports | |
| 1-bedroom flat, outside the centreEstimated | $3,096 | +30% vs Boston | 0 reports | |
| Milk, 1 LEstimated | $1.30 | +4% vs Boston | 0 reports | |
| Eggs, 12Estimated | $5.00 | +5% vs Boston | 0 reports | |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kgEstimated | $13.00 | +4% vs Boston | 0 reports | |
| Electricity, water, heating and cooling for 85 m²Estimated | $210 | +6% vs Boston | 0 reports | |
| Home internet, 60 Mbps or fasterEstimated | $65.00 | +5% vs Boston | 0 reports | |
| Mobile plan with calls and 10 GB+ dataEstimated | $60.00 | +5% vs Boston | 0 reports | |
| Gym membership, monthlyEstimated | $90.00 | +6% vs Boston | 0 reports | |
| Cinema ticketEstimated | $18.00 | +6% vs Boston | 0 reports | |
| Jeans, Levi's 501 or similarEstimated | $65.00 | +2% vs Boston | 0 reports |
Most reports (10th–90th percentile)
Middle half of reports
Same item in Boston
All prices in New York
Method
Where the numbers come from
People who live in each city share what they paid. Every price is checked before it counts.
People share prices
Anyone can add what they paid, in their own currency. No account needed. A quick automatic check keeps bots out.
We check every price
Typos, wrong currencies and impossible amounts are caught. An unusual price only counts after someone else reports something similar.
We work out the typical price
We use the middle price of recent reports. When a city has only a few reports, we estimate the rest and label it "Estimated".
No reports in the last 30 days yet. When they arrive, you'll see here how many were counted, held for a second opinion or turned down.
Rankings
Most and least expensive cities
Monthly cost for one person renting in the city centre, in US dollars. Pick a city to compare it with Boston. See all 118 cities
Most expensive
Comparisons
Popular comparisons
Cities people often weigh up against each other. Monthly cost for one person, rent in the centre included.
- London vs New York$4,144 → $5,691+37%
- Lisbon vs London$2,242 → $4,144+85%
- Hong Kong vs Singapore$3,299 → $4,261+29%
- New York vs Tokyo$5,691 → $1,976−65%
- Berlin vs London$2,319 → $4,144+79%
- Dubai vs London$3,319 → $4,144+25%
- Amsterdam vs Berlin$3,303 → $2,319−30%
- Barcelona vs Madrid$2,227 → $2,151−3%
- Lisbon vs Porto$2,242 → $1,840−18%
- Melbourne vs Sydney$2,803 → $3,486+24%
- Toronto vs Vancouver$3,003 → $3,103+3%
- Beijing vs Shanghai$1,723 → $1,840+7%
- Osaka vs Tokyo$1,574 → $1,976+25%
- Bangkok vs Singapore$1,304 → $4,261+227%
- Mexico City vs New York$1,680 → $5,691+239%
- Seoul vs Tokyo$1,961 → $1,976+1%
- London vs Paris$4,144 → $2,753−34%
- Dubai vs Singapore$3,319 → $4,261+28%
- New York vs San Francisco$5,691 → $4,850−15%
- Bangkok vs Chiang Mai$1,304 → $898−31%
- Buenos Aires vs São Paulo$1,316 → $1,3210%
- London vs Sydney$4,144 → $3,486−16%
- Austin vs San Francisco$3,086 → $4,850+57%
- Hong Kong vs Taipei$3,299 → $1,424−57%
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Rent, groceries, eating out and monthly budgets for every city we cover.
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FAQ
Boston vs New York: common questions
Is New York cheaper than Boston?
No. One person renting a 1-bedroom flat in the centre spends about $5,691 a month in New York, against $4,609 in Boston: 23% more.
How much is rent in New York compared with Boston?
A 1-bedroom flat in the centre of New York rents for about $4,300 a month, +30% compared with $3,300 in Boston. Outside the centre it's about $3,096 against $2,376.
How much money do I need to move from Boston to New York?
To keep the lifestyle that costs $4,609 a month in Boston, plan on about $5,691 in New York for one person. A family of four would need about $14,598, compared with $12,133 in Boston.
How much does eating out cost in New York vs Boston?
A meal at an inexpensive restaurant is about $25.00 in New York and $22.86 in Boston. A regular cappuccino is about $5.50 against $5.06.
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