Overall
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton
- 108.3
Diff +1.2 RPP
Boston-Cambridge-Newton vs Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh is 1.1% more expensive than Boston-Cambridge-Newton.
1.1% more expensive
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY is 1.1% more expensive than Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 109.4 vs 108.3). A $100,000 salary in Boston-Cambridge-Newton buys about the same as $101,068 in Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 108.3 (Boston-Cambridge-Newton) vs 109.4 (Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh)
- $100k in Boston-Cambridge-Newton ≈ $101,068 purchasing power in Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh
- Rents drives the gap (-32.7 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair MA:NY 108.3→109.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE MA × NY
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-ABOVE Both above 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Boston-Cambridge-Newton
108.3
Cost Index
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh
109.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH and Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY are a photo finish on overall price level, only 1.2 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh is 32.7 points lower. But rents and services move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros exceed the U.S. benchmark of 100. The choice is between two national premiums, so local wages need to clear the higher baseline in either market.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton corresponds to $101,068 in Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff +10.6 RPP
Services
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton
- 148.8
Diff -12.0 RPP
Rents
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton
- 148.4
Diff -32.7 RPP
| Category | Boston-Cambridge-Newton | Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 108.3 | 109.4 | +1.2 |
| Goods | 99.7 | 110.3 | +10.6 |
| Services | 148.8 | 136.8 | -12.0 |
| Rents | 148.4 | 115.8 | -32.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Boston-Cambridge-Newton 108.3
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh 109.4
Goods
Boston-Cambridge-Newton 99.7
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh 110.3
Services
Boston-Cambridge-Newton 148.8
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh 136.8
Rents
Boston-Cambridge-Newton 148.4
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh 115.8
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Boston-Cambridge-Newton would need to be in Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh for the same purchasing power:
| In Boston-Cambridge-Newton | In Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,534 | +$534 |
| $75,000 | $75,801 | +$801 |
| $100,000 | $101,068 | +$1,068 |
| $150,000 | $151,602 | +$1,602 |
$ in Boston-Cambridge-Newton = in Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (108.3 → 109.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh more expensive than Boston-Cambridge-Newton?
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh is 1.1% more expensive than Boston-Cambridge-Newton. The overall cost index is 109.4 vs 108.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh equals $100K in Boston-Cambridge-Newton?
A $100,000 salary in Boston-Cambridge-Newton has the same purchasing power as $101,068 in Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Boston-Cambridge-Newton and Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh?
Rents in Boston-Cambridge-Newton are indexed at 148.4 while Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh is at 115.8 (national average = 100). Boston-Cambridge-Newton has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.