Boston, Massachusetts
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Boston.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Boston compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 663,972City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $94,755Incorporated place (ACS)21% above U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 195ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)95% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $710,400City limits (ACS)134% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $2,093City limits (ACS)55% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 4.1%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 35 min40% above U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 8384% above U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- UnavailableFBI CDE gap
- Property crime rate
- UnavailableFBI CDE gap
- Summer high
- 80°F7.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 26°F8.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 43.6 in33% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 23711% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Boston with another city
About 663,972 people live in Boston, MA. Households here report a median income near $94,755; our housing-derived cost index is about 195 (well above the national housing-cost baseline). Entry home prices around $710,400 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Four sharp seasons and a dense education/biotech corridor drive demand. Pack for 80°F summer peaks; winter mornings often settle near 26°F. Commutes average near 35 minutes one-way, with walkability near 83/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 4.1% for the surrounding county. FBI Crime Data Explorer did not return usable agency rates here — verify recent local PD reports block by block.
If you only tour one corridor, make it Back Bay; if you have a weekend, contrast it with South End and the quieter edges near Cambridge-adjacent. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Boston with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Neighborhoods often researched
- Back Bay
- South End
- Cambridge-adjacent
- North End
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Boston city, 1600000US2507000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN250250000000003 (Suffolk County, May 2026)
- Crime: data unavailable
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00014739 BOSTON LOGAN INTL AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28
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