Boston vs Cambridge
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $731,700 in Boston and $1,092,100 in Cambridge.
- Households earn more in Cambridge ($130,748 vs $97,344 median).
- Cambridge is growing faster: +3.5% since 2020 vs -0.8%.
- Commutes are shorter in Cambridge (26 vs 30 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Boston, MA | Cambridge, MA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 672,973 | 122,588 |
| Growth since 2020 | -0.8% | +3.5% |
| People per square mile | 13,921 | 19,163 |
| Median age | 33.3 | 30.4 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 55% | 81% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $97,344 | $130,748 |
| Median home value | $731,700 | $1,092,100 |
| Home value to income | 7.5× | 8.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,147 | $2,787 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 108.3 | 108.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 148.4 | 148.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $81,200 | $81,200 |
| Homeowners | 36% | 34% |
| Top state income tax | 9% | 9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 6.25% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 30.3 | 25.8 |
| Work from home | 21% | 31% |
| Take public transit | 23% | 18% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.1% | 3.4% |
| Poverty rate | 16.6% | 12.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 37° / 23° | 37° / 23° |
| July high / low | 82° / 66° | 82° / 66° |
| Precipitation per year | 44 in | 44 in |
| Snowfall per year | 49 in | 49 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 14 | 14 |
| Nights below freezing | 92 | 92 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 93.5 | 96.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 71% | 71% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.2% | +2.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +39.7% | +39.7% |
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. Cambridge: May to October.
Full monthly tables: Boston weather by month and Cambridge 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 $81,200 in Cambridge. Moving from Boston to Cambridge, you would need about $75,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Boston and Cambridge
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 Cambridge.
Which would you pick?
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