State profile
Massachusetts Cost of Living Comparison
Massachusetts's 2024 price level is 105.757, 5.76% above the national level, driven by utilities (152.070) and rents (128.068), while goods cost slightly less than the U.S. average.
Updated
105.757Massachusetts all-items price level, U.S. = 100 · rank 45 of 51, lowest first
| Measure | Massachusetts | Maryland | First − second |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-items price level | 105.757 | 104.959 | +0.798 points |
| Rent price level | 128.068 | 121.079 | +6.989 points |
| Home value | $562,100±$2,169 | $419,900±$1,385 | +$142,200 |
| Two-bedroom gross rent | $1,876±$15 | $1,740±$9 | +$136 |
| Household income | $103,960±$527 | $103,678±$597 | +$282 |
| Real estate taxes paid | $5,992±$18 | $4,093±$21 | +$1,899 |
$4,000 of monthly spending in Massachusetts scales to $3,970 in Maryland at the 2024 all-items price ratio.
BEA 2024 and ACS 2020–2024; ± marks the Census 90% margin. How to read a gap
Massachusetts: rents, energy and an income-tax state
The expensive lines are housing and power. Utilities are 52.07% above the national level, rank 49 of 51, and rents rank 48th. Goods, at 98.820, are below the U.S. level. The two-bedroom gross-rent median of $1,876 is fourth-highest in the country and the median home value of $562,100 ranks fifth.
Owners pay more than almost anywhere, ranking fifth for mortgaged costs and for property tax and third among those who have paid off the mortgage. Renters spend 30.9% of income on gross rent, rank 12.
Incomes match the prices. The median household income of $103,960 ranks second, and real per capita personal income, adjusted for Massachusetts prices, is $71,629, rank 4.
More than half of state revenue comes from one tax. Individual income tax supplied 53.0% of fiscal 2025 state collections, $3,423 per resident, with general sales at 21.0% and corporate income tax at 13.8%. Total collections were $46.17 billion, $6,454 per resident, rank 10.
The relative price level has fallen from 109.101 in 2020 and 109.431 in 2022 to 105.757 in 2024, a decline of 3.344 points, one of the larger moves toward the national level.
Among five neighbours only New York (107.921) is pricier. New Hampshire (104.165) and Connecticut (103.610) are a little cheaper, Rhode Island (102.280) more so, and Vermont, at 97.958 with rents at 86.502 and a two-bedroom median of $1,384, is the low-cost side. Maryland (104.959) is the closest price level nationally.
Category price levels in Massachusetts
| Category | Parity | Rank, low first | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 105.757 | 45 | 5.76% above |
| Goods | 98.820 | 37 | 1.18% below |
| Housing (rents) | 128.068 | 48 | 28.07% above |
| Utilities | 152.070 | 49 | 52.07% above |
| Other services | 102.852 | 44 | 2.85% above |
| Real income per person, 2017 $ | $71,629 | 4 | U.S. $59,195 |
All items by year: 2020 109.101 · 2021 106.698 · 2022 109.431 · 2023 107.675 · 2024 105.757 (−3.344 since 2020). How to read categories and trends
Monthly housing costs
- Owners with a mortgage
- $2,726±$10 · rank 5, high first
- Owners without a mortgage
- $1,043±$6 · rank 3
- Renters: gross rent / income
- 30.9%±0.3 · rank 12
Massachusetts state tax collections, FY2025
$46.17 billion in total, $6,454 per resident. Scope of these figures
| Tax | FY2025 | Share | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual income | $24.48 billion | 53.0% | $3,423 |
| General sales | $9.72 billion | 21.0% | $1,358 |
| Property | $17.8 million | 0.0% | $2 |
| Motor fuel | $706.7 million | 1.5% | $99 |
| Other selective sales | $2.27 billion | 4.9% | $317 |
| Corporate income | $6.36 billion | 13.8% | $889 |
| Licenses | $1.50 billion | 3.2% | $209 |
| Severance | not levied | ||
| Other taxes | $1.12 billion | 2.4% | $157 |
Massachusetts income tax on wages
Massachusetts General Laws chapter 62, section 4 taxes Part B income, the part that holds wages and salaries, at 5%, the floor the statute sets for that rate. Taxable income above $1,000,000 pays an additional 4%, and that threshold is adjusted for the cost of living every year.
Read : Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 62, section 4. Price parities exclude income taxes.
Massachusetts sales tax
Massachusetts General Laws chapter 64H, section 2 levies a 6.25% excise on a vendor's gross receipts from retail sales of tangible personal property and taxable services, except where the chapter provides otherwise.
Massachusetts beside its neighbours
| Jurisdiction | All items | Rents | Goods | 2BR rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 105.757 | 128.068 | 98.820 | $1,876 |
| Connecticut | 103.610 | 117.048 | 97.330 | $1,584 |
| New Hampshire | 104.165 | 114.947 | 98.578 | $1,642 |
| New York | 107.921 | 122.168 | 107.254 | $1,620 |
| Rhode Island | 102.280 | 105.620 | 97.165 | $1,457 |
| Vermont | 97.958 | 86.502 | 97.274 | $1,384 |
Before you budget a move
A Massachusetts comparison should make the compensation and housing search equally specific. A higher income median may accompany a different statewide rental price level, but the sampled households are not the applicants for your proposed job. Use the employer’s offer and your expected household income sources for the budget.
For a Boston-area destination or another Massachusetts community, include the actual transport choice, parking and tenant-paid utilities. The broad price parity combines goods and services; its ratio cannot tell you whether one chosen lease or one commuting option is cheaper than an alternative.
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