Can you afford to live in Boston?

Median household income, home values and rent in Boston, MA — how they've changed since 2015 and how much of a typical paycheck housing takes compared with the rest of the country.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

This story was assembled using AI and public data sources.

What it costs to live in Boston.

Median household income: $94,755 — +69.9% since 2015 (not adjusted for inflation)

Median gross rent: $2,093/mo — +58.6% since 2015

Median home value, 2015 to 2023

• 2015: 393600
• 2023: 710400

Median household income

• Boston: 94755
• Suffolk County: 92859
• MA: 101341
• U.S.: 78538

Median gross rent

• Boston: 2093
• Suffolk County: 2069
• MA: 1687
• U.S.: 1348

Share of income a typical renter spends on rent: 30.1% — U.S.: 30.2%

What it means

The typical household here earns $94,755 — notably higher than the national figure of $78,538.

The typical renter here spends 30.1% of household income on rent, above the 30% level housing agencies use to define cost burden.

Since 2015, income has kept pace with rent here (+69.9% versus +58.6%), before adjusting for inflation.