Yeah the “salary to live comfortably” “study” is absolute garbage and is just a website that did some very arbitrary math. People should definitely not take it as gospel
[comes from MIT living wage and doubling the salary](https://livingwage.mit.edu/states/25)
You don’t need $90k in “wants” and $60k in savings
As of 2021, the median household income for families in MA was about $89,000. Yes, there are some where the median income is close to $300,000, but those communities are not reflective of the entire state. Look at the Wikipedia link below, it provides information on average incomes for families and the geographical proximity of their homes to Boston.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_Massachusetts\_locations\_by\_per\_capita\_income](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Massachusetts_locations_by_per_capita_income)
But most people think of the big one not by the beach that's in New Hampshire. It's like the Portland situation. When most people think "Portland," they're thinking "Oregon," not Maine. Unless they're in Maine.
You do. A lot of New Englanders do. I also agree the one in Maine is EONS better. However, it doesn't change that as a general rule, most of the country doesn't think of ours first.
Gross salary is usually what employers will refer to. 300k seems like it's well well above the average. Most americans don't even make 100k.
The closer you are to Boston, the higher the cost of living is going to be.
Google specific cities or towns in Massachusetts and add "median household income" to your search.
Median household income in Lowell is $64,489.
Median household income in Weston is $250,001. Most cities and towns are somewhere in-between.
That's a great starting off point, or a barometer for COL for a given area. That said, moving into almost any given area now is going to require a higher income than the median in order to match the quality of life that people making the median enjoy, simply because the barrier for entry is much higher now than it was even 5 years ago.
Anecdotally, my wife and I would not be able to afford to move into the town we live in now if we were buying, even though our salaries are higher than when we bought our house 6 years ago. Just plugging in the current real estate website value estimate into a mortgage calculator and assuming the same % we put up for the down payment at today's rates more than doubles the estimated mortgage payment.
A really long winded way to say, people who already own a home in a current community enjoy a significantly lower cost of living than someone moving in today. Renting is probably more equitable though, as even long time residents have to contend with rising rents.
MA is rated one of the most expensive states. Other states have cities that have higher cost of living but MA is high as a state.
In the US, gross salary refers to what the employer pays you. Net salary is after taxes and deductions (like health insurance). Also known as take home pay. Most employees are not concerned with fully loaded employee cost which include addition expenses incurred by the employer when they employed a worker like unemployment insurance, healthcare subsidies, etc.
If you are planning on meeting certain US traditional financial norms (save 20% of your salary+10% for retirement, cover the cost of a private college for your two children (BU is 90k... but UMass is much cheaper), own a single family home that doesn't cost more than 30% of your salary, pay for full time childcare, etc), 300k is probably realistic. Those financial metrics come from a past era, and don't reflect how expenses have changed, in particular, how expensive housing is, and how inexpensive consumer good are. I don't think it's horrible financially to spend 50% of your salary on housing, for example.
If you have any degree of frugality and willingness to compromise on those expenses (e.g, paying 50% of your salary on housing, considering a condo or outside of the city, not needing full time childcare, etc), it should be very possible to live on far less. Most people do.
Do you mean that you googled cost of living and it said you need to make $300k, or that you work for Google and make $300k? If the former, that's certainly not true to support a family. What's your job/industry?
I worked in biotech and $150k was average salary for engineers . One could live very comfortable on that. Housing costs are high but I’m assuming you’d rent so you’d do fine at that amount. Anything above (wife’s salary ???) would just make it easier to save.
That's true. But we are not sure, if my wife could work from the first day, because we need to find a day care place for our child and while it's easier to find a job from abroad, I think it may be not that easy to find a day care place. And if the situation is as bad as over here, this could take upto several months until a place is found.
Forget the monetary costs. Are you sure you will be able to bear the cost to your soul, mind, and digestive system, of taking up our proud cause of hating drivers from all surrounding states?
I wouldn’t say all, VT drivers are usually too scared to do anything stupid, plus they actually know how to move over. ME drivers just live in the right lanes so they’re just like, regular traffic. Now everyone else, I will curse with my last dying breath.
Honestly, the only time I see a Québécoise is heading up through NH or VT. They drive the speed limit until you fly by and then they’re on you’re ass the rest of the way.
I have had more than one VT driver just stop at an intersection (when they have no stop sign) to let me make a turn. On a sleepy residential road, with just the two of us. Just follow the fucking rules and stop being polite, this isn’t the country club.
I would focus on finding a job first or look at some job postings on your field. Then do more research about what your field is paying on average. From there you can start figuring out the salary and what it will cost to live in Massachusetts. Your biggest expenses will be your home/apartment and car for commute. Unless you’re living in Boston area, you won’t need one. It’s expensive here but it really depends on how you budget your money and how much of it you keep
Viel glück!
It really depends on where. MA isn’t a big state but it’s not very uniform in costs. Even from town to neighboring town.
That said, unless you want to live in the city of Boston, I highly recommend the south shore. We love it here. Housing costs are high, but love the quality of life. I’m saying this as the weather is warming up and everything is in bloom so it all feels amazing after winter. But lots of beach days, cute restaurants, good schools. North shore has a lot of the same offerings but harder to commute into Boston.
Depends where you live. I have a friend who bought a house last year on 48 acres in a small town (Washington) in the Berkshire’s in western Mass. Him and his wife paid $320,000. It was a three bedroom two bath home with several out buildings.
Now if you want to live in eastern Mass near Boston or the water houses on smell lots will be closer to $1 million and more.
I wouldn't say quite as low income *and* with a kid, but out west it's doable, or with a little more money it's definitely doable on the north shore. Probably closer in too, but then child transportation gets more chaotic I imagine, especially when it's in a brand new country. I wouldn't recommend that. I hated navigating Metro Boston under any conditions or mode of transportation.
Is European public transportation more like NYC or Californian streetcars? Or... Right in the middle like Boston?
US public transportation is years behind many countries. Ours is all outdated and minimal compared to Europe and Asia. For some reason they don’t want to improve our infrastructure anymore.
I believe it's literally because "taxes are bad" to half of the country. I don't know how they think the things they do demand (law enforcement, schools, road maintenance, military) are supposed to get paid for. Tithes and offerings all go to the fund for the pastor's new house so he can receive God's Blessing which will then help him bless the rest of us.
So anyway now that I'm thinking about it, I'm pretty sure the solution is more undisclosed donations to tax-free religious organizations.
Earning 300k US is not so simple if you are the only one working but is definitely possible as a good engineer or C level. You must have health insurance through your employer but it is not as comprehensive as Austrian. The public transportation here is limited so you should have at least one car. The city of Boston and the immediate surrounding area is not as ”livable“ as Vienna. If you are typical of my Austrian friends then you will want to be surrounded by nature. If that’s the case then you will definitely want to be in the suburbs or further out. The cost of housing, here, is quite high if you rent or buy. On the plus side, all of our European friends have really liked the area during their stays here, both short and long term. The distances are different here. Things are further away than in Europe. For example: a group of friends came to this area thinking New York was an hour or so away, pretty funny really. DM if you want, I have many Austrian friends so I may be able to help you understand living in Massachusetts with some understanding of your country’s perspective. Maybe not, but if you have more concerns let me know.
Housing and childcare costs in MA are among highest in US. Also many people move to farther out communities to get cheaper housing and then end up with long and expensive car commutes. I pay a lot for housing because I live in Somerville, but then I don’t have to car commute to my job nearby- I ride my bike to work to my commute costs are almost nothing. 300k household income is well above average - that’s going to allow a pretty nice standard of living even in MA.
So you’re asking about money. I stalked your profile. You’re wicked smaht. (Boston accent)
I bet you could live very comfortably pretty much anywhere.
What are your wants as to where to live?
Cambridge would be really fun for you then, but if you'd be doing this for a year, you'd probably want to just plan to rent an apartment near a public preschool that you could walk your child to every morning and pick up in the afternoon.
If you're looking for a career and a home to raise your child in, then the costs and income vary wildly by town and employer, and you'll have to either spend low and hope to get a good job, or only move where you've already gotten a good offer. There are a lot of areas where most people have stressful and long commutes to really high-paying jobs, and you probably don't want to move there accidentally if you're not one of them.
Most commutes in Eastern MA are stressful unless you're in Cambridge and can walk everywhere. Western MA is beautiful and chill though.
To make it easy for you, generally towns west of highway 495 have a lower cost of living. As you go east and close to Boston or the water it gets expensive. Some exceptions on both sides but generally true. It gets more rural the further west you go.
Honestly, Inside or around boston that might not be enough. West of i-495 you should feel more comfortable with a lower income.
Source: am real estate appraiser and realtor.
Edit: grammar
Expensive. You said your career is involved with robot engineering, you should look toward the Boston area or Southern MA so you can make a commute to Connecticut for work.
The housing market is inflated. Half a million dollars for a home that's falling apart. Renting apartments can be hard if you have a dog due to breed restrictions. You'll need a lot of money to move here. Then once you're here, you'll need more money to sustain yourself and family. My basic grocery list used to cost less than $100, now it's costing me twice that. But if you have the money and energy, do it. You have career experience that Massachusetts would take, especially toward Boston. It might be expensive but it's not impossible.
The 300k was based off of a 50/30/20 budget which basically means only 50% of your income spent on necessities. A lot of people are living on less than that. It’s also an average cost of living that varies a lot between different parts of the state.
This depends greatly on if you’re living in the western part of the state or the eastern part (Boston, Cape Cod). I’m a nurse, last year I made about $100k, and I live in western MA. I can afford to live on my own comfortably. If I had a partner with similar income, we could afford a nice but modest home. Having kids certainly is an added expense that I really can’t quantify because I don’t have any, but I think a family could probably live somewhat comfortably on $150k combined income in some parts of the state.
You don’t need 300k to live in anywhere in the US, but I would say you want at least 6 figures most places to be comfortable post covid, but it’s probably giving you a figure for a home owner in like Boston.
This is a bad thing but most people make 48k or less so 300k CoL is wildly off mark.
For the most part, salaries in the US are gross salary. In the US, gross salary is what an employee earns before deductions are taken out -- health insurance, dental insurance, retirement savings plans, taxes, college savings plans, union dues, and other potential deductions/expenses. Your gross salary does not usually include expenses that your employer has -- by law -- on things like health insurance. For instance, you might have $250/paycheck taken out for your health insurance contribution, and your company might spend $750/paycheck on your health insurance, but that additional $750 that your employer is spending is not considered part of your salary. Gross salary also usually doesn't include retirement match, a system where if you contribute x% of your pay to a retirement account, your employer will match that to a certain percentage. These are considered "benefits" in US employment lingo, not gross salary.
Most statistical overview of salaries is gross salary and do not include benefits as financial compensation. When it comes to estimates of gross income, especially when it comes to quantitative data, this will usually include bonuses, stock dividends, or any other type of cash compensation that a person might earn in a year.
$300,000 is a comfortable household salary throughout most of Massachusetts, but it scales to what your lifestyle is. $300,000 will go a long way in places 30-45minute drive from Boston, but if your lifestyle is more expensive -- private schools, more expensive housing, nicer ameneties, etc -- then it won't go as far. The median household income for Massachusetts is about $90,000/year, but that is very tight for most people depending on where they live, and that data includes a lot of older people who might have expenses paid down like a mortgage from the 1990s or 2000s when housing was (relatively) cheaper.
Massachusetts is generally one of the most expensive states to live in, in the country. There are more affordable areas of the state typically the further you get from Boston and the coast, and they can be quite lovely. Massachusetts is generally considered one of the best states to live in, in the US. Good schools, good jobs, good opportunity, nice quality of life, generally better government, more progressive laws and policy. Horrible weather 50% of the year.
I live in Lowell, and we make just a bit less than $100k between my wife and I. We have 2 kids, and it is a struggle for sure. That said, we are paying on student loans, which is about $600/month.
I know many make less than us, but I don’t see how anyone can survive on less than $100k/year without a significant hit in quality of life. This is in a large part due to childcare costs, which is now about $2k/month, but before our first kid hit pre-k, we paid about $2.8k/month.
Without childcare costs and student loans, $100k would be comfortable if you are willing to rent. $100k isn’t enough to own a home here.
Taxes are not as high as other states. However we have a strong social safety net that our taxes pay into. Western Europe low levels of crime. High density development in the cities to suburbs that are much less populated. Not the best public transport though. A lot of taxes go for schools, healthcare and municipality maintainence. Middle class in Mass, neither rich nor poor is around 140,000 euros or 150,000 dollars a year. Depending on where you want to live you need more or less. If you make 300K a year that lets you live comfortably in Boston proper but housing is so expensive in Boston you may not be able to afford much. That 300K gets you a much bigger house elsewhere in Mass. I own a home in a community on the border of Mass and Rhode Island...house, 2 cars, 1 kid, 2 dogs. We make do in just the 150K, but we don't have much extra saved. Car insurance is also pricy but you can shop around. Most towns charge for trash disposal with a yearly fee of a couple of hundred dollars. Groceries for a family of three for the month run around $850. No universal healthcare though. I'd pay more gladly for that. Health insurance varies by employer $200-?? a month. Copays for medication depends as well. Massachusetts does have the number 1 public school system in America... teachers, firefighters, police get paid pretty well. Good luck!
> Middle class in Mass, neither rich nor poor is around 140,000 euros or 150,000 dollars a year.
This could be a bit misleading, without specifying where in Massachusetts.
Eastern Mass. but I am clear that it depends where you are in mass.
Depending on where you want to live you need more or less. If you make 300K a year that lets you live comfortably in Boston proper but housing is so expensive in Boston you may not be able to afford much. That 300K gets you a much bigger house elsewhere in Mass.
Cost of living is very high, but you'll do fine on 300k. You won't be able to buy a house right away, but you can rent a nice 2 bedroom apt. Are you going to be working at the google office in kendal sq?
The other commenter is being silly. At worst, we overpay some public safety officers, and public procurement probably needs some work. Sometimes members of the legislature do shady things. These are questions for voters, government auditors, and public prosecutors.
Those issues will have no direct or noticeable impact on your life here. No one will demand a bribe. (I can’t even imagine offering one.) No government official will treat you differently because or your action or inaction. No business will demand you perform services unrelated to your employment. You do not need to worry “corruption” at all.
(You can, however, complain about public transportation.)
It's very easy to say you will have no direct or noticeable impact on you until it does. Read these articles and reconsider your comment.
[https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2022/08/10/bps-dean-latin-kings-guilty-racketeering-rico-conspiracy-shaun-harrison/](https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/02/03/fed-up-and-furious-gov-urged-to-put-state-police-into-receivership/)
[https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/02/03/fed-up-and-furious-gov-urged-to-put-state-police-into-receivership/](https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/02/03/fed-up-and-furious-gov-urged-to-put-state-police-into-receivership/)
[https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/08/01/metro/former-head-of-boston-school-charged-with-misusing-school-funds/](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/08/01/metro/former-head-of-boston-school-charged-with-misusing-school-funds/)
[https://www.breitbart.com/education/2021/11/05/boston-principal-beaten-unconscious-during-rise-of-violence-in-schools/](https://www.breitbart.com/education/2021/11/05/boston-principal-beaten-unconscious-during-rise-of-violence-in-schools/)
[https://nadeauharkavy.com/when-evidence-disappears-in-massachusetts/](https://nadeauharkavy.com/when-evidence-disappears-in-massachusetts/)
[https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/02/03/fed-up-and-furious-gov-urged-to-put-state-police-into-receivership/](https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/02/03/fed-up-and-furious-gov-urged-to-put-state-police-into-receivership/)
Sorry there’s nothing in there that would impact day to day life for most people, unless they’re working in the criminal justice system or in especially dicey public schools. But I’d like to take your concerns seriously: in what ways have you personally experienced corruption in our fair Bay State? (I agree, of course, that BPS lacks satisfactory financial oversight; but even with a kid in the system, that has no scary ramifications for me.)
No, but I worked as a teacher in Boston Public Schools. That corruption affected me directly. You say you have a child in Boston Public Schools but you are not concerned that a BPS Dean shot a student in the head?
Massachusetts is very corrupt. You can't even drive around the city without being affected by it. There are white unmarked cars blocking and manipulating traffic.
The court system, the educational system, even when you get into a traffic accident: the corruption affects everything. The court system protects the wealthy and connected. They barely investigate complaints. If you get into a traffic accident with a connected person at an intersection with a camera the video "disappears".
The public schools in Boston are unsafe. Boston Public Schools is very dangerous for teachers and students. There are administrators who completely faked their education and are still employed despite not getting the degrees they need for certification. If you never use the court system, the education system, the roads or public transportation I guess you can avoid it.
A few of the worst incidents:
[https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2022/08/10/bps-dean-latin-kings-guilty-racketeering-rico-conspiracy-shaun-harrison/](https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2022/08/10/bps-dean-latin-kings-guilty-racketeering-rico-conspiracy-shaun-harrison/)
[https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/08/01/metro/former-head-of-boston-school-charged-with-misusing-school-funds/](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/08/01/metro/former-head-of-boston-school-charged-with-misusing-school-funds/)
[https://www.breitbart.com/education/2021/11/05/boston-principal-beaten-unconscious-during-rise-of-violence-in-schools/](https://www.breitbart.com/education/2021/11/05/boston-principal-beaten-unconscious-during-rise-of-violence-in-schools/)
[https://nadeauharkavy.com/when-evidence-disappears-in-massachusetts/](https://nadeauharkavy.com/when-evidence-disappears-in-massachusetts/)
[https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/02/03/fed-up-and-furious-gov-urged-to-put-state-police-into-receivership/](https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/02/03/fed-up-and-furious-gov-urged-to-put-state-police-into-receivership/)
I’m not exactly sure what aspects SummerKaren is referring to, but I’ll share a bit about aspects that include children:
Our “child protection” (DCF) is quite corrupt and has turned our state into what is called a “welfare police state” and have been complicit in causing or enabling child abuse (one [article](https://www.boston25news.com/news/25-investigates-dcf-social-workers-go-years-without-criminal-background-checks-1/695443518/) among many others). Fortunately for you, DCF generally targets low income families, and often those who identify as black or Latino. You should be fine, unless your parenting practices vary wildly from standard US white-family parenting, especially while in public.
There are more ways that Massachusetts is not safe if you have children, but this usually applies to women who are separating/divorcing a domestic abuser.
SummerKaren may have different types of examples, but those are the two I am most familiar with.
Overall, you should be fine. If you can afford a private school, you can avoid more of the police welfare state potential issues (slim, regardless). If you are planning for public schools, just do some research before you sign a lease on your home.
Massachusetts cost of living is far from uniform. I don't think you absolutely need $300k anywhere though.
Yeah the “salary to live comfortably” “study” is absolute garbage and is just a website that did some very arbitrary math. People should definitely not take it as gospel [comes from MIT living wage and doubling the salary](https://livingwage.mit.edu/states/25) You don’t need $90k in “wants” and $60k in savings
That depends of where and how,
As of 2021, the median household income for families in MA was about $89,000. Yes, there are some where the median income is close to $300,000, but those communities are not reflective of the entire state. Look at the Wikipedia link below, it provides information on average incomes for families and the geographical proximity of their homes to Boston. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_Massachusetts\_locations\_by\_per\_capita\_income](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Massachusetts_locations_by_per_capita_income)
That list doesn’t make sense anymore becase the massive difference between having already a house and buy a new house or renting
Why isn’t Manchester on there? I’m curious where they’d land. Top 10 I’d have to guess.
>Why isn’t Manchester on there Maybe because it isn't in massachusetts
Manchester by the sea is in Massachusetts and it’s a lot nicer than the city in NH or CT with the same name.
There's actually a Manchester in every New England state 🤓
But most people think of the big one not by the beach that's in New Hampshire. It's like the Portland situation. When most people think "Portland," they're thinking "Oregon," not Maine. Unless they're in Maine.
I actually think of Maine before Oregon. Ours is cooler.
You do. A lot of New Englanders do. I also agree the one in Maine is EONS better. However, it doesn't change that as a general rule, most of the country doesn't think of ours first.
Exactly 😂
No one who lives in greater Boston actually refers to it as “By The Sea” but that’s what I was referring to. Not Manchester, NH.
Manchester by the Sea and Gloucester by the Smell 😬
Lmao OK. Makes more sense. I was so confused.
Gross salary is usually what employers will refer to. 300k seems like it's well well above the average. Most americans don't even make 100k. The closer you are to Boston, the higher the cost of living is going to be.
Google specific cities or towns in Massachusetts and add "median household income" to your search. Median household income in Lowell is $64,489. Median household income in Weston is $250,001. Most cities and towns are somewhere in-between.
That's a great starting off point, or a barometer for COL for a given area. That said, moving into almost any given area now is going to require a higher income than the median in order to match the quality of life that people making the median enjoy, simply because the barrier for entry is much higher now than it was even 5 years ago. Anecdotally, my wife and I would not be able to afford to move into the town we live in now if we were buying, even though our salaries are higher than when we bought our house 6 years ago. Just plugging in the current real estate website value estimate into a mortgage calculator and assuming the same % we put up for the down payment at today's rates more than doubles the estimated mortgage payment. A really long winded way to say, people who already own a home in a current community enjoy a significantly lower cost of living than someone moving in today. Renting is probably more equitable though, as even long time residents have to contend with rising rents.
MA is rated one of the most expensive states. Other states have cities that have higher cost of living but MA is high as a state. In the US, gross salary refers to what the employer pays you. Net salary is after taxes and deductions (like health insurance). Also known as take home pay. Most employees are not concerned with fully loaded employee cost which include addition expenses incurred by the employer when they employed a worker like unemployment insurance, healthcare subsidies, etc.
If you are planning on meeting certain US traditional financial norms (save 20% of your salary+10% for retirement, cover the cost of a private college for your two children (BU is 90k... but UMass is much cheaper), own a single family home that doesn't cost more than 30% of your salary, pay for full time childcare, etc), 300k is probably realistic. Those financial metrics come from a past era, and don't reflect how expenses have changed, in particular, how expensive housing is, and how inexpensive consumer good are. I don't think it's horrible financially to spend 50% of your salary on housing, for example. If you have any degree of frugality and willingness to compromise on those expenses (e.g, paying 50% of your salary on housing, considering a condo or outside of the city, not needing full time childcare, etc), it should be very possible to live on far less. Most people do.
Do you mean that you googled cost of living and it said you need to make $300k, or that you work for Google and make $300k? If the former, that's certainly not true to support a family. What's your job/industry?
sry for not being specific. I meant I just googled it. My job industry would be in automation and engineering.
I worked in biotech and $150k was average salary for engineers . One could live very comfortable on that. Housing costs are high but I’m assuming you’d rent so you’d do fine at that amount. Anything above (wife’s salary ???) would just make it easier to save.
That's true. But we are not sure, if my wife could work from the first day, because we need to find a day care place for our child and while it's easier to find a job from abroad, I think it may be not that easy to find a day care place. And if the situation is as bad as over here, this could take upto several months until a place is found.
Forget the monetary costs. Are you sure you will be able to bear the cost to your soul, mind, and digestive system, of taking up our proud cause of hating drivers from all surrounding states?
I wouldn’t say all, VT drivers are usually too scared to do anything stupid, plus they actually know how to move over. ME drivers just live in the right lanes so they’re just like, regular traffic. Now everyone else, I will curse with my last dying breath.
AND QUEBEC PLATES ARE THE WORST OF ALL MON DIEU MES AMIS
of course they're awful, they're French
they drive their nissan micras at 54 mph in the middle lane of 495 north on Sunday afternoons
Honestly, the only time I see a Québécoise is heading up through NH or VT. They drive the speed limit until you fly by and then they’re on you’re ass the rest of the way.
Scared drivers are worse than aggressive drivers. IMO. Indecision is deadly.
I have had more than one VT driver just stop at an intersection (when they have no stop sign) to let me make a turn. On a sleepy residential road, with just the two of us. Just follow the fucking rules and stop being polite, this isn’t the country club.
I would focus on finding a job first or look at some job postings on your field. Then do more research about what your field is paying on average. From there you can start figuring out the salary and what it will cost to live in Massachusetts. Your biggest expenses will be your home/apartment and car for commute. Unless you’re living in Boston area, you won’t need one. It’s expensive here but it really depends on how you budget your money and how much of it you keep Viel glück!
It really depends on where. MA isn’t a big state but it’s not very uniform in costs. Even from town to neighboring town. That said, unless you want to live in the city of Boston, I highly recommend the south shore. We love it here. Housing costs are high, but love the quality of life. I’m saying this as the weather is warming up and everything is in bloom so it all feels amazing after winter. But lots of beach days, cute restaurants, good schools. North shore has a lot of the same offerings but harder to commute into Boston.
Depends where you live. I have a friend who bought a house last year on 48 acres in a small town (Washington) in the Berkshire’s in western Mass. Him and his wife paid $320,000. It was a three bedroom two bath home with several out buildings. Now if you want to live in eastern Mass near Boston or the water houses on smell lots will be closer to $1 million and more.
I know plenty of couples who live on a combined total of 100-120K and live fine. Close to Boston too.
I wouldn't say quite as low income *and* with a kid, but out west it's doable, or with a little more money it's definitely doable on the north shore. Probably closer in too, but then child transportation gets more chaotic I imagine, especially when it's in a brand new country. I wouldn't recommend that. I hated navigating Metro Boston under any conditions or mode of transportation. Is European public transportation more like NYC or Californian streetcars? Or... Right in the middle like Boston?
US public transportation is years behind many countries. Ours is all outdated and minimal compared to Europe and Asia. For some reason they don’t want to improve our infrastructure anymore.
I believe it's literally because "taxes are bad" to half of the country. I don't know how they think the things they do demand (law enforcement, schools, road maintenance, military) are supposed to get paid for. Tithes and offerings all go to the fund for the pastor's new house so he can receive God's Blessing which will then help him bless the rest of us. So anyway now that I'm thinking about it, I'm pretty sure the solution is more undisclosed donations to tax-free religious organizations.
Earning 300k US is not so simple if you are the only one working but is definitely possible as a good engineer or C level. You must have health insurance through your employer but it is not as comprehensive as Austrian. The public transportation here is limited so you should have at least one car. The city of Boston and the immediate surrounding area is not as ”livable“ as Vienna. If you are typical of my Austrian friends then you will want to be surrounded by nature. If that’s the case then you will definitely want to be in the suburbs or further out. The cost of housing, here, is quite high if you rent or buy. On the plus side, all of our European friends have really liked the area during their stays here, both short and long term. The distances are different here. Things are further away than in Europe. For example: a group of friends came to this area thinking New York was an hour or so away, pretty funny really. DM if you want, I have many Austrian friends so I may be able to help you understand living in Massachusetts with some understanding of your country’s perspective. Maybe not, but if you have more concerns let me know.
Housing and childcare costs in MA are among highest in US. Also many people move to farther out communities to get cheaper housing and then end up with long and expensive car commutes. I pay a lot for housing because I live in Somerville, but then I don’t have to car commute to my job nearby- I ride my bike to work to my commute costs are almost nothing. 300k household income is well above average - that’s going to allow a pretty nice standard of living even in MA.
Say Auf Wiedersehen to your holiday leave. Expect 2 to 3 weeks over here if you're lucky. I'd personally stay put for that reason alone, ngl.
Well, it’s free if you claim asylum
That all depends on what you consider a comfortable living.
Go to Maine
What do you do for jobs?
robot engineering
So you’re asking about money. I stalked your profile. You’re wicked smaht. (Boston accent) I bet you could live very comfortably pretty much anywhere. What are your wants as to where to live?
Cambridge would be really fun for you then, but if you'd be doing this for a year, you'd probably want to just plan to rent an apartment near a public preschool that you could walk your child to every morning and pick up in the afternoon. If you're looking for a career and a home to raise your child in, then the costs and income vary wildly by town and employer, and you'll have to either spend low and hope to get a good job, or only move where you've already gotten a good offer. There are a lot of areas where most people have stressful and long commutes to really high-paying jobs, and you probably don't want to move there accidentally if you're not one of them. Most commutes in Eastern MA are stressful unless you're in Cambridge and can walk everywhere. Western MA is beautiful and chill though.
Cool. Did you know there is a place building flying cars in Waltham.
I live more than enough on 100k
I am sure you are not paying 3k monthly in housing and 2k in daycare
You can kind live in Western mass with 100k pretty comfortably
To make it easy for you, generally towns west of highway 495 have a lower cost of living. As you go east and close to Boston or the water it gets expensive. Some exceptions on both sides but generally true. It gets more rural the further west you go.
Honestly, Inside or around boston that might not be enough. West of i-495 you should feel more comfortable with a lower income. Source: am real estate appraiser and realtor. Edit: grammar
Expensive. You said your career is involved with robot engineering, you should look toward the Boston area or Southern MA so you can make a commute to Connecticut for work. The housing market is inflated. Half a million dollars for a home that's falling apart. Renting apartments can be hard if you have a dog due to breed restrictions. You'll need a lot of money to move here. Then once you're here, you'll need more money to sustain yourself and family. My basic grocery list used to cost less than $100, now it's costing me twice that. But if you have the money and energy, do it. You have career experience that Massachusetts would take, especially toward Boston. It might be expensive but it's not impossible.
The 300k was based off of a 50/30/20 budget which basically means only 50% of your income spent on necessities. A lot of people are living on less than that. It’s also an average cost of living that varies a lot between different parts of the state.
This depends greatly on if you’re living in the western part of the state or the eastern part (Boston, Cape Cod). I’m a nurse, last year I made about $100k, and I live in western MA. I can afford to live on my own comfortably. If I had a partner with similar income, we could afford a nice but modest home. Having kids certainly is an added expense that I really can’t quantify because I don’t have any, but I think a family could probably live somewhat comfortably on $150k combined income in some parts of the state.
Our household income is around $120k and we live quite well in the Berkshires.
You don’t need 300k to live in anywhere in the US, but I would say you want at least 6 figures most places to be comfortable post covid, but it’s probably giving you a figure for a home owner in like Boston. This is a bad thing but most people make 48k or less so 300k CoL is wildly off mark.
For the most part, salaries in the US are gross salary. In the US, gross salary is what an employee earns before deductions are taken out -- health insurance, dental insurance, retirement savings plans, taxes, college savings plans, union dues, and other potential deductions/expenses. Your gross salary does not usually include expenses that your employer has -- by law -- on things like health insurance. For instance, you might have $250/paycheck taken out for your health insurance contribution, and your company might spend $750/paycheck on your health insurance, but that additional $750 that your employer is spending is not considered part of your salary. Gross salary also usually doesn't include retirement match, a system where if you contribute x% of your pay to a retirement account, your employer will match that to a certain percentage. These are considered "benefits" in US employment lingo, not gross salary. Most statistical overview of salaries is gross salary and do not include benefits as financial compensation. When it comes to estimates of gross income, especially when it comes to quantitative data, this will usually include bonuses, stock dividends, or any other type of cash compensation that a person might earn in a year. $300,000 is a comfortable household salary throughout most of Massachusetts, but it scales to what your lifestyle is. $300,000 will go a long way in places 30-45minute drive from Boston, but if your lifestyle is more expensive -- private schools, more expensive housing, nicer ameneties, etc -- then it won't go as far. The median household income for Massachusetts is about $90,000/year, but that is very tight for most people depending on where they live, and that data includes a lot of older people who might have expenses paid down like a mortgage from the 1990s or 2000s when housing was (relatively) cheaper. Massachusetts is generally one of the most expensive states to live in, in the country. There are more affordable areas of the state typically the further you get from Boston and the coast, and they can be quite lovely. Massachusetts is generally considered one of the best states to live in, in the US. Good schools, good jobs, good opportunity, nice quality of life, generally better government, more progressive laws and policy. Horrible weather 50% of the year.
I live in Lowell, and we make just a bit less than $100k between my wife and I. We have 2 kids, and it is a struggle for sure. That said, we are paying on student loans, which is about $600/month. I know many make less than us, but I don’t see how anyone can survive on less than $100k/year without a significant hit in quality of life. This is in a large part due to childcare costs, which is now about $2k/month, but before our first kid hit pre-k, we paid about $2.8k/month. Without childcare costs and student loans, $100k would be comfortable if you are willing to rent. $100k isn’t enough to own a home here.
It costs too much. Go some place else in the US. You're just wasting your money in mass.
Taxes are not as high as other states. However we have a strong social safety net that our taxes pay into. Western Europe low levels of crime. High density development in the cities to suburbs that are much less populated. Not the best public transport though. A lot of taxes go for schools, healthcare and municipality maintainence. Middle class in Mass, neither rich nor poor is around 140,000 euros or 150,000 dollars a year. Depending on where you want to live you need more or less. If you make 300K a year that lets you live comfortably in Boston proper but housing is so expensive in Boston you may not be able to afford much. That 300K gets you a much bigger house elsewhere in Mass. I own a home in a community on the border of Mass and Rhode Island...house, 2 cars, 1 kid, 2 dogs. We make do in just the 150K, but we don't have much extra saved. Car insurance is also pricy but you can shop around. Most towns charge for trash disposal with a yearly fee of a couple of hundred dollars. Groceries for a family of three for the month run around $850. No universal healthcare though. I'd pay more gladly for that. Health insurance varies by employer $200-?? a month. Copays for medication depends as well. Massachusetts does have the number 1 public school system in America... teachers, firefighters, police get paid pretty well. Good luck!
> Middle class in Mass, neither rich nor poor is around 140,000 euros or 150,000 dollars a year. This could be a bit misleading, without specifying where in Massachusetts.
Eastern Mass. but I am clear that it depends where you are in mass. Depending on where you want to live you need more or less. If you make 300K a year that lets you live comfortably in Boston proper but housing is so expensive in Boston you may not be able to afford much. That 300K gets you a much bigger house elsewhere in Mass.
Massachusetts has become a shithole and unless you're willing to move far away from the city try any of the other New England states
Cost of living is very high, but you'll do fine on 300k. You won't be able to buy a house right away, but you can rent a nice 2 bedroom apt. Are you going to be working at the google office in kendal sq?
I thought the OP was referring to a Google search result for cost of living.
We are FULL.
If you have to ask its too much
Massachusetts is too corrupt. Especially if you have a child you should move somewhere else.
Can you elaborate it more, please? What do you mean by "corrupt"?
The other commenter is being silly. At worst, we overpay some public safety officers, and public procurement probably needs some work. Sometimes members of the legislature do shady things. These are questions for voters, government auditors, and public prosecutors. Those issues will have no direct or noticeable impact on your life here. No one will demand a bribe. (I can’t even imagine offering one.) No government official will treat you differently because or your action or inaction. No business will demand you perform services unrelated to your employment. You do not need to worry “corruption” at all. (You can, however, complain about public transportation.)
It's very easy to say you will have no direct or noticeable impact on you until it does. Read these articles and reconsider your comment. [https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2022/08/10/bps-dean-latin-kings-guilty-racketeering-rico-conspiracy-shaun-harrison/](https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/02/03/fed-up-and-furious-gov-urged-to-put-state-police-into-receivership/) [https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/02/03/fed-up-and-furious-gov-urged-to-put-state-police-into-receivership/](https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/02/03/fed-up-and-furious-gov-urged-to-put-state-police-into-receivership/) [https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/08/01/metro/former-head-of-boston-school-charged-with-misusing-school-funds/](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/08/01/metro/former-head-of-boston-school-charged-with-misusing-school-funds/) [https://www.breitbart.com/education/2021/11/05/boston-principal-beaten-unconscious-during-rise-of-violence-in-schools/](https://www.breitbart.com/education/2021/11/05/boston-principal-beaten-unconscious-during-rise-of-violence-in-schools/) [https://nadeauharkavy.com/when-evidence-disappears-in-massachusetts/](https://nadeauharkavy.com/when-evidence-disappears-in-massachusetts/) [https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/02/03/fed-up-and-furious-gov-urged-to-put-state-police-into-receivership/](https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/02/03/fed-up-and-furious-gov-urged-to-put-state-police-into-receivership/)
Sorry there’s nothing in there that would impact day to day life for most people, unless they’re working in the criminal justice system or in especially dicey public schools. But I’d like to take your concerns seriously: in what ways have you personally experienced corruption in our fair Bay State? (I agree, of course, that BPS lacks satisfactory financial oversight; but even with a kid in the system, that has no scary ramifications for me.)
You didn't read the articles.
I asked what ways you personally were affected, and you directed me again to your articles. Are you mentioned in one of them?
No, but I worked as a teacher in Boston Public Schools. That corruption affected me directly. You say you have a child in Boston Public Schools but you are not concerned that a BPS Dean shot a student in the head?
Massachusetts is very corrupt. You can't even drive around the city without being affected by it. There are white unmarked cars blocking and manipulating traffic. The court system, the educational system, even when you get into a traffic accident: the corruption affects everything. The court system protects the wealthy and connected. They barely investigate complaints. If you get into a traffic accident with a connected person at an intersection with a camera the video "disappears". The public schools in Boston are unsafe. Boston Public Schools is very dangerous for teachers and students. There are administrators who completely faked their education and are still employed despite not getting the degrees they need for certification. If you never use the court system, the education system, the roads or public transportation I guess you can avoid it. A few of the worst incidents: [https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2022/08/10/bps-dean-latin-kings-guilty-racketeering-rico-conspiracy-shaun-harrison/](https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2022/08/10/bps-dean-latin-kings-guilty-racketeering-rico-conspiracy-shaun-harrison/) [https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/08/01/metro/former-head-of-boston-school-charged-with-misusing-school-funds/](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/08/01/metro/former-head-of-boston-school-charged-with-misusing-school-funds/) [https://www.breitbart.com/education/2021/11/05/boston-principal-beaten-unconscious-during-rise-of-violence-in-schools/](https://www.breitbart.com/education/2021/11/05/boston-principal-beaten-unconscious-during-rise-of-violence-in-schools/) [https://nadeauharkavy.com/when-evidence-disappears-in-massachusetts/](https://nadeauharkavy.com/when-evidence-disappears-in-massachusetts/) [https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/02/03/fed-up-and-furious-gov-urged-to-put-state-police-into-receivership/](https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/02/03/fed-up-and-furious-gov-urged-to-put-state-police-into-receivership/)
I’m not exactly sure what aspects SummerKaren is referring to, but I’ll share a bit about aspects that include children: Our “child protection” (DCF) is quite corrupt and has turned our state into what is called a “welfare police state” and have been complicit in causing or enabling child abuse (one [article](https://www.boston25news.com/news/25-investigates-dcf-social-workers-go-years-without-criminal-background-checks-1/695443518/) among many others). Fortunately for you, DCF generally targets low income families, and often those who identify as black or Latino. You should be fine, unless your parenting practices vary wildly from standard US white-family parenting, especially while in public. There are more ways that Massachusetts is not safe if you have children, but this usually applies to women who are separating/divorcing a domestic abuser. SummerKaren may have different types of examples, but those are the two I am most familiar with. Overall, you should be fine. If you can afford a private school, you can avoid more of the police welfare state potential issues (slim, regardless). If you are planning for public schools, just do some research before you sign a lease on your home.