Overall
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton
- 108.3
Diff +0.6 RPP
Boston-Cambridge-Newton vs Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria is 0.6% more expensive than Boston-Cambridge-Newton.
0.6% more expensive
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV is 0.6% more expensive than Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 108.9 vs 108.3). A $100,000 salary in Boston-Cambridge-Newton buys about the same as $100,571 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 108.3 (Boston-Cambridge-Newton) vs 108.9 (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria)
- $100k in Boston-Cambridge-Newton ≈ $100,571 purchasing power in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
- Services drives the gap (-42.1 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair MA:DC 108.3→108.9
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE MA × DC
- 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
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
108.9
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.6 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria is 42.1 points lower. But 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 service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton to $100,571 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff +5.2 RPP
Services
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton
- 148.8
Diff -42.1 RPP
Rents
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton
- 148.4
Diff +2.7 RPP
| Category | Boston-Cambridge-Newton | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 108.3 | 108.9 | +0.6 |
| Goods | 99.7 | 104.8 | +5.2 |
| Services | 148.8 | 106.7 | -42.1 |
| Rents | 148.4 | 151.1 | +2.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Boston-Cambridge-Newton 108.3
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 108.9
Goods
Boston-Cambridge-Newton 99.7
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 104.8
Services
Boston-Cambridge-Newton 148.8
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 106.7
Rents
Boston-Cambridge-Newton 148.4
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 151.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Boston-Cambridge-Newton would need to be in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria for the same purchasing power:
| In Boston-Cambridge-Newton | In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,285 | +$285 |
| $75,000 | $75,428 | +$428 |
| $100,000 | $100,571 | +$571 |
| $150,000 | $150,856 | +$856 |
$ in Boston-Cambridge-Newton = in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (108.3 → 108.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Washington-Arlington-Alexandria more expensive than Boston-Cambridge-Newton?
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria is 0.6% more expensive than Boston-Cambridge-Newton. The overall cost index is 108.9 vs 108.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria equals $100K in Boston-Cambridge-Newton?
A $100,000 salary in Boston-Cambridge-Newton has the same purchasing power as $100,571 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Boston-Cambridge-Newton and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria?
Rents in Boston-Cambridge-Newton are indexed at 148.4 while Washington-Arlington-Alexandria is at 151.1 (national average = 100). Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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.