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Living in Massachusetts ยท 2026

Is $150,000 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

$8,843

Avg monthly expenses

$3,339

Avg monthly surplus

$5,504

Savings potential

~62%

After-tax take-home in Massachusetts

Gross salary$150,000
Federal income taxโˆ’ $24,914
State income taxโˆ’ $7,500
Social Securityโˆ’ $9,300
Medicareโˆ’ $2,175
Annual take-home$106,111
Effective tax rate29.26%

How $150,000 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: $4,219/mo
Rent burden: 32.8% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
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: $5,802/mo
Rent burden: 20.4% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
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: $6,972/mo
Rent burden: 11.3% 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: $3,975/mo
Rent burden: 35.1% 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: $5,960/mo
Rent burden: 19.2% 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: $6,099/mo
Rent burden: 18.1% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Brockton analysis โ†’

50 / 30 / 20 Budget Planner

Based on your monthly take-home of $8,843 ($106,116/yr)

Needs 50%Wants 30%Savings 20%
Needs50%

$4,422

per month

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

$2,653

per month

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

$1,769

per month

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

Needs / year

$53,058

Wants / year

$31,835

Savings / year

$21,223

Salary Intelligence

Moderate salary in Boston

Rent takes 33% of take-home income, which is above the ideal 25% but still manageable. Savings will be limited; consider lower-cost housing to improve your financial position.

Lifestyle score: 5/10 (Fair)

Lifestyle Assessment

A $150,000 salary comfortably supports a fair single lifestyle in Boston, Massachusetts, with approximately $4,219/month (~48% 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 $150,000 provides the purchasing power of roughly $77,720 in an average-cost US city, or $91,710 in Austin. Moving to a lower-cost state could effectively increase your take-home by thousands.

State & National Benchmark

$150,000 is 162% above the Massachusetts individual median of $57,200 and 168% above the US national individual median of $56,000. This is a top-quartile income in this state.

State individual median

$57,200

+162%

State household median

$96,505

+55%

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)

$150,000 vs. Massachusetts income benchmarks

Individual median (Massachusetts)

$57,200

+162% vs. this salary

Household median (Massachusetts)

$96,505

+55% 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.