What salary do you need to live in Boston, MA?
For a single person: about $101,500/year before taxes to live comfortably. That's the gross income whose MA-taxed take-home covers roughly $2,941 rent plus everyday essentials, with a 20% cushion for savings. Figures include 2025 federal tax, FICA, and an effective 4.7% Massachusetts income tax.
What jobs here actually pay: the typical Boston worker earns about $66,620/year (BLS OEWS, all occupations) — below the $82,500 a single person needs to cover local essentials, so a median local job alone runs 19% short.
Single person — est. essentials $5,216/mo
Tight
take-home covers $5,216/mo
$82,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $6,259/mo
$101,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $7,824/mo
$130,500/yr
2-person household — est. essentials $6,766/mo
Tight
take-home covers $6,766/mo
$101,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $8,119/mo
$123,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $10,149/mo
$159,500/yr
3-person household — est. essentials $8,091/mo
Tight
take-home covers $8,091/mo
$122,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $9,709/mo
$151,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $12,137/mo
$196,000/yr
4-person household — est. essentials $9,149/mo
Tight
take-home covers $9,149/mo
$141,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $10,979/mo
$175,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $13,724/mo
$225,000/yr
How we calculate this
Essentials = typical rent ($2,941) + a national non-housing baseline by household size ($2,450 for one person) + Massachusetts's combined sales tax on the taxable share of that spending. We then solve for the gross salary whose after-tax take-home hits each tier, including municipal income tax where the city levies one. These assume adults sharing a home. A household with young children also pays childcare, which in most cities is the largest line after rent — run a search with your own household to price it. Property taxes aren't modeled — see the methodology.
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