Boston, MA vs San Jose, CA
Simple answer
You'd likely save $264 a month in Boston.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is housing prices. The BEA housing price parity differs by 63.5 points (Boston 148.4, San Jose 211.9).
Massachusetts taxes wages at rates up to 9.00%. California taxes wages at rates up to 13.30%. Combined sales tax differs by 2.7 percentage points, higher in California. The effective property tax gap is 0.29 percentage points, higher in Massachusetts.
After a move from Massachusetts to California, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Boston lines up with about $76,494 in San Jose on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Boston
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $3,008
- HUD area
- Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $2,093
- All-items price parity
- 108.3
- Goods price parity
- 99.7
- Utilities price parity
- 148.8
- Mean commute
- 31.9 min
- Median household income
- $117,825
San Jose
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $3,272
- HUD area
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $2,827
- All-items price parity
- 110.4
- Goods price parity
- 105.2
- Utilities price parity
- 156.7
- Mean commute
- 27.5 min
- Median household income
- $164,801
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$76,494
Salary in San Jose that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$75,665
Gross salary in San Jose whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$81,582
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Massachusetts | California |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | up to 9.00% | up to 13.30% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 6.3% | 9.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 1.00% | 0.71% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $4,004 a year in Massachusetts and $2,828 in California. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in California
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Massachusetts and once in California. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
BostonLikely eligible
San JoseLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
BostonLikely eligible
San JoseLikely eligible
WIC
BostonLikely eligible
San JoseLikely eligible
School meals
BostonLikely eligible
San JoseLikely eligible
LIHEAP
BostonMaybe
San JoseMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
BostonLikely eligible
San JoseLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
BostonLikely eligible
San JoseLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
BostonUnlikely
San JoseUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
BostonLikely eligible
San JoseLikely eligible
SSI
BostonUnlikely
San JoseUnlikely
| Program | Boston | San Jose |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Boston
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Boston.
- Boston and McAllen · rent gap $1,991
- Boston and Wichita · rent gap $1,965
- Boston and Little Rock · rent gap $1,887
- Boston and Toledo · rent gap $1,863
- Boston and El Paso · rent gap $1,862
- Boston and Baton Rouge · rent gap $1,859
- Boston and Columbia · rent gap $1,782
- Boston and Tulsa · rent gap $1,779
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.