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Living in Massachusetts ยท 2026

Is $112,000 enough to live in Massachusetts?

Single adult ยท MA ยท 2026 tax brackets ยท Real cost-of-living data

Statewide verdict:Very comfortable

Monthly take-home

$6,820

Avg monthly expenses

$3,339

Avg monthly surplus

$3,481

Savings potential

~51%

After-tax take-home in Massachusetts

Gross salary$112,000
Federal income taxโˆ’ $15,994
State income taxโˆ’ $5,600
Social Securityโˆ’ $6,944
Medicareโˆ’ $1,624
Annual take-home$81,838
Effective tax rate26.93%

How $112,000 feels in Massachusetts cities

Rent: HUD FMR 2026 ยท Food: USDA Low-Cost Plan ร— COL ยท Transport/Utilities/Healthcare: BLS CES ร— COL

Boston

COL index: 1.93ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$2,900
Food
$682
Transport
$338
Utilities
$318
Healthcare
$386
Total: $4,624/mo
Surplus: $2,196/mo
Rent burden: 42.5% โ€” High (35โ€“50%)
Full Boston analysis โ†’

Worcester

COL index: 1.28ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,800
Food
$550
Transport
$224
Utilities
$211
Healthcare
$256
Total: $3,041/mo
Surplus: $3,779/mo
Rent burden: 26.4% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
Full Worcester analysis โ†’

Springfield

COL index: 0.88ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,000
Food
$396
Transport
$154
Utilities
$145
Healthcare
$176
Total: $1,871/mo
Surplus: $4,949/mo
Rent burden: 14.7% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Springfield analysis โ†’

Cambridge

COL index: 1.93ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$3,100
Food
$726
Transport
$338
Utilities
$318
Healthcare
$386
Total: $4,868/mo
Surplus: $1,952/mo
Rent burden: 45.5% โ€” High (35โ€“50%)
Full Cambridge analysis โ†’

Lowell

COL index: 1.23ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,700
Food
$519
Transport
$215
Utilities
$203
Healthcare
$246
Total: $2,883/mo
Surplus: $3,937/mo
Rent burden: 24.9% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Lowell analysis โ†’

Brockton

COL index: 1.18ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,600
Food
$506
Transport
$207
Utilities
$195
Healthcare
$236
Total: $2,744/mo
Surplus: $4,076/mo
Rent burden: 23.5% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Brockton analysis โ†’

50 / 30 / 20 Budget Planner

Based on your monthly take-home of $6,820 ($81,840/yr)

Needs 50%Wants 30%Savings 20%
Needs50%

$3,410

per month

  • โ€บRent / mortgage
  • โ€บGroceries
  • โ€บUtilities
  • โ€บInsurance
  • โ€บMinimum debt payments
  • โ€บTransportation
Wants30%

$2,046

per month

  • โ€บDining out
  • โ€บStreaming services
  • โ€บGym
  • โ€บHobbies
  • โ€บTravel
  • โ€บShopping
Savings20%

$1,364

per month

  • โ€บEmergency fund
  • โ€บ401(k) / IRA
  • โ€บInvestments
  • โ€บDown payment fund
  • โ€บDebt payoff (extra)

Needs / year

$40,920

Wants / year

$24,552

Savings / year

$16,368

Salary Intelligence

Below comfortable level in Boston

Rent would consume 43% of take-home income โ€” above the 35% stress threshold. A higher salary or lower-cost housing is needed for financial stability in this city.

Lifestyle score: 4.3/10 (Fair)

Lifestyle Assessment

A $112,000 salary comfortably supports a fair single lifestyle in Boston, Massachusetts, with approximately $2,196/month (~32% of take-home) available for savings โ€” meeting or exceeding the recommended 20% savings rate.

Purchasing Power

Boston's above-average cost of living (index: 1.93) means $112,000 provides the purchasing power of roughly $58,031 in an average-cost US city, or $68,477 in Austin. Moving to a lower-cost state could effectively increase your take-home by thousands.

State & National Benchmark

$112,000 is 96% above the Massachusetts individual median of $57,200 and 100% above the US national individual median of $56,000. This is a top-quartile income in this state.

State individual median

$57,200

+96%

State household median

$96,505

+16%

Tax reduction strategies

Maximize 401(k) Contributions โ€” Up to $5,170 in federal tax (22% bracket)
401(k) Age 50+ Catch-Up Contribution โ€” Up to $2,775 additional tax savings (37% bracket)

$112,000 vs. Massachusetts income benchmarks

Individual median (Massachusetts)

$57,200

+96% vs. this salary

Household median (Massachusetts)

$96,505

+16% vs. this salary

Source: US Census Bureau ACS 2023

Related salary insights

Explore other salary levels in Massachusetts

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Reviewed by

Finance Editor

CPA, 10+ years in personal finance

Data Sources

Data updated monthly using government datasets.