Boston vs Burlington
The short version
- Burlington is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 7% lower than in the Boston area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $444,800 in Burlington and $731,700 in Boston.
- Households earn more in Boston ($97,344 vs $71,109 median).
- Boston has the warmer winter: January highs of 37°F vs 29°F.
- Burlington gets far more snow: 88 inches a year vs 49.
- Commutes are shorter in Burlington (19 vs 30 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Boston, MA | Burlington, VT | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 672,973 | 44,019 |
| Growth since 2020 | -0.8% | -1.6% |
| People per square mile | 13,921 | 4,272 |
| Median age | 33.3 | 26.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 55% | 61% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $97,344 | $71,109 |
| Median home value | $731,700 | $444,800 |
| Home value to income | 7.5× | 6.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,147 | $1,649 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 108.3 | 100.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 148.4 | 103.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $81,200 | $75,700 |
| Homeowners | 36% | 42% |
| Top state income tax | 9% | 8.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 6.43% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 30.3 | 18.7 |
| Work from home | 21% | 19% |
| Take public transit | 23% | 5% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.1% | 4.3% |
| Poverty rate | 16.6% | 20.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 37° / 23° | 29° / 13° |
| July high / low | 82° / 66° | 82° / 62° |
| Precipitation per year | 44 in | 38 in |
| Snowfall per year | 49 in | 88 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 14 | 8 |
| Nights below freezing | 92 | 145 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 93.5 | 63.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 71% | 88% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.2% | +0.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +39.7% | +48.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Boston: May to October. Burlington: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Boston weather by month and Burlington weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $81,200 in Boston and $75,700 in Burlington. Moving from Boston to Burlington, you would need about $69,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Boston and Burlington
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Boston and Burlington.
Which would you pick?
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