The city of Boston has been steadily climbing the list of the most expensive locations to live in the United States over the last ten years. This is due to various reasons, including an ever-increasing demand for housing and a limited number of apartments and property listings, real estate and rent prices in Boston have skyrocketed concurrently with the expansion of the metropolitan region. At this time, Boston is one of the most expensive places to live not only in the United States but also all over the world. As a matter of fact, according to research on the cost of living, Boston is the fifth most expensive city in the world to reside in, following Geneva, Zurich, New York, and San Francisco. We break down the cost of living in Boston vs NYC to understand why Boston is an expensive city to live in.
Average Selling Prices
Boston real estate values are quite comparable to those of New York City when comparing the two cities’ real estate markets. It’s crucial to keep in mind that New York is a considerably bigger metropolis than Boston and that housing statistics are compiled by all five boroughs when comparing housing costs. Housing expenses are far greater in Manhattan than in Boston, which is what most people think of when they think of New York City.
The median sale price for all types of real estate in Boston is $800,000, a 2.4% decrease from New York City’s total of $820,000 and a 28.9% decrease from Manhattan’s total of $1,125,000. Condos are the most volatile in terms of price. The average price of a condo in Boston is $719,000, which is 50.7% higher than $477,000 in New York City but 32.8% lower than $1,125,000 in Manhattan. The median price of a single-family home in Boston is $870,000, which is 2.4% more than the price in New York City ($850,000), but it is -17.5% lower than the price in Manhattan ($1,055,000).
Prices of Rent on Average
When comparing the average rent costs in New York City and Boston, it is feasible to obtain an image comparable to the one described above. It is estimated that the average monthly rent in the city of Boston is $3,250. There is a slight disparity between that and the typical monthly rent in New York City, which is $3,500. This is a rather unimportant discrepancy. When compared to Manhattan, the contrast is much more pronounced and considerable. Boston’s average rent is $4,670, which is significantly more than Manhattan’s rate, which is +30.4% greater than the minimum rent.
In Conclusion
The average cost of living in Boston is lower than that of New York City in the majority of comparison categories, as demonstrated by the accumulation of all of these data. On top of that, it demonstrates that when the cost of living expenses are adjusted for income, the environment in Boston is far more affordable than the one in New York City. Over the previous decade, the cost of living in Boston has been increasing at a faster rate than that of New York City. It will be fascinating to observe how this data develops over the next several years. However, given the current cost of living, it appears like Boston offers a higher quality of life than New York City does at the moment.