Cost of living in Essex, Massachusetts
Essex, Massachusetts has about 1,688 people. Typical rent is $1,866 a month, including utilities, and a typical household earns $161,250 a year. Both figures are Census 2020–2024 medians, not a listing or your pay. This site does not approve or deny benefits. A missing figure stays blank. We do not guess it.
Simple answer
Typical rent is $1,866 a month.
Essex is a Census community, not a separate city government in Massachusetts. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $161,250 a year.
- People
- 1,688
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $1,866
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $161,250
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $797,100
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $3,008
- Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area
Essex, Massachusetts has about 1,688 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $797,100.
HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in this town's area (Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area) is $3,008 a month. That rate runs from October 2026 through September 2027.
In the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, prices sit at 108.3 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.
Massachusetts taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 6.3% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Essex's exact store tax.
In July 2026, a typical Massachusetts home paid 30.49¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Essex's bill.
In 2025, all-grades gas in Massachusetts averaged $3.13 a gallon. EIA prints this yearly price for only some states.
Among 203 places we list in Massachusetts with a rent figure, 67 have higher typical rent than Essex.
Nearby places
- Ipswich
Typical rent $1,530
Compare with Essex - Gloucester
Typical rent $1,411
Compare with Essex - Beverly
Typical rent $1,771
Compare with Essex - Rowley
Typical rent $1,663
Compare with Essex - Rockport
Typical rent $1,777
Compare with Essex - Topsfield
Typical rent $994
Compare with Essex - Danvers
Typical rent $2,076
- Marblehead
Typical rent $1,764
EBT nearby
USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.
Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.
Food stamps (SNAP) tools in Massachusetts
Bigger places in Massachusetts
Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.