Cost of Living: Waltham, MA vs New York, NY

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,224/mo in Waltham, MA versus $4,116/mo in New York, NY. In the model, rent is about 32.52% of gross in Waltham, MA versus 25.92% in New York, NY, so New York, NY tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Waltham, MA
$4,224/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in New York, NY
$4,116/mo
Income level: below
Rent share (1BR) in Waltham, MA
32.52%
COLI tier: mid-range
Rent share (1BR) in New York, NY
25.92%
COLI tier: very high-cost

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Waltham, MA and New York, NY.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Waltham, MA
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): New York, NY
  • Lower home prices: Waltham, MA
  • Higher median household income: Waltham, MA

Cost of Living Index

Waltham, MA: 100 (U.S. = 100) · New York, NY: 168.2 (U.S. = 100)

Waltham, MA has a lower cost-of-living index than New York, NY, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

Waltham, MA: $2,121/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · New York, NY: $1,690/mo

Median rent in Waltham, MA is $431/mo higher than in New York, NY.

Median Home Price

Waltham, MA: $705,700 · New York, NY: $751,700

Median home price in New York, NY is $46,000 higher than in Waltham, MA.

Median Household Income

Waltham, MA: $116,560 · New York, NY: $79,713

Waltham, MA has a higher median household income than New York, NY by $36,847.

Waltham, MA overview · New York, NY overview · Popular comparisons