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CityLedger

Boston vs Miami

Metro-area medians — Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area vs Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Boston comes out ahead, winning 7 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Boston is both cheaper to live in (about 5% less) and higher-earning (about 46% more) than Miami. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Boston.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Boston, MA
$57,564
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$53,169
real value after local prices
Miami, FL
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
$53,711
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Miami leaves you about $542/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Boston
Miami
Livability (CityLedger)
83/100
41/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
108.3
114.2
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$108,829
$70,628
Median household income
$117,825
$80,625
Median rent
$2,093/mo
$2,083/mo
Median home value
$681,100
$510,600
Unemployment
3.9%
4.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
53%
38.7%
Average commute
31.9 min
30.2 min
Air quality (median AQI)
43
51
Avg temperature
50°F
77°F

Choose Boston for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Boston profile →

Choose Miami for

  • + Median home value
  • + Average commute
Full Miami profile →

Boston vs Miami — frequently asked

Is Boston cheaper than Miami?
Boston is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 5% below Miami's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Boston or Miami?
Boston has the higher median household income — $117,825 versus $80,625 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 46% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Boston or Miami?
A paycheck stretches further in Boston. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $108,829 there versus $70,628 in Miami.
Which has cheaper rent, Boston or Miami?
Rents are close — $2,093/mo in the Boston metro versus $2,083/mo in Miami (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).