Cambridge vs New York
The short version
- Cambridge is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the New York area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $777,600 in New York and $1,092,100 in Cambridge.
- Households earn more in Cambridge ($130,748 vs $80,483 median).
- Cambridge gets far more snow: 49 inches a year vs 30.
- Cambridge is growing faster: +3.5% since 2020 vs -2.5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Cambridge (26 vs 40 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Cambridge, MA | New York, NY | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 122,588 | 8,584,629 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.5% | -2.5% |
| People per square mile | 19,163 | 28,572 |
| Median age | 30.4 | 38.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 81% | 42% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $130,748 | $80,483 |
| Median home value | $1,092,100 | $777,600 |
| Home value to income | 8.4× | 9.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,787 | $1,821 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 108.3 | 112.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 148.4 | 148.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $81,200 | $84,400 |
| Homeowners | 34% | 33% |
| Top state income tax | 9% | 10.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 8.54% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 25.8 | 40.3 |
| Work from home | 31% | 17% |
| Take public transit | 18% | 44% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.4% | 8% |
| Poverty rate | 12.8% | 17.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 37° / 23° | 40° / 28° |
| July high / low | 82° / 66° | 85° / 70° |
| Precipitation per year | 44 in | 50 in |
| Snowfall per year | 49 in | 30 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 14 | 17 |
| Nights below freezing | 92 | 67 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 96.9 | 99.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 71% | 42% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.8% | +5.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +39.7% | +45.1% |
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: Cambridge: May to October. New York: May and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Cambridge weather by month and New York 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 Cambridge and $84,400 in New York. Moving from Cambridge to New York, you would need about $78,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Cambridge and New York
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Cambridge and New York.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.