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Living in Massachusetts ยท 2026

Is $210,000 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

$12,154

Avg monthly expenses

$3,339

Avg monthly surplus

$8,815

Savings potential

~73%

After-tax take-home in Massachusetts

Gross salary$210,000
Federal income taxโˆ’ $39,314
State income taxโˆ’ $10,500
Social Securityโˆ’ $11,203
Medicareโˆ’ $3,135
Annual take-home$145,848
Effective tax rate30.55%

How $210,000 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: $7,530/mo
Rent burden: 23.9% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
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: $9,113/mo
Rent burden: 14.8% 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: $10,283/mo
Rent burden: 8.2% 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: $7,286/mo
Rent burden: 25.5% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
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: $9,271/mo
Rent burden: 14.0% 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: $9,410/mo
Rent burden: 13.2% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Brockton analysis โ†’

50 / 30 / 20 Budget Planner

Based on your monthly take-home of $12,154 ($145,848/yr)

Needs 50%Wants 30%Savings 20%
Needs50%

$6,077

per month

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

$3,646

per month

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

$2,431

per month

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

Needs / year

$72,924

Wants / year

$43,754

Savings / year

$29,170

Salary Intelligence

Good salary in Boston

Rent represents 24% of take-home income โ€” comfortably within the recommended 25% guideline. This is a solid salary for this location.

Lifestyle score: 5.5/10 (Good)

Lifestyle Assessment

A $210,000 salary comfortably supports a good single lifestyle in Boston, Massachusetts, with approximately $7,530/month (~62% 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 $210,000 provides the purchasing power of roughly $108,808 in an average-cost US city, or $128,394 in Austin. Moving to a lower-cost state could effectively increase your take-home by thousands.

State & National Benchmark

$210,000 is 267% above the Massachusetts individual median of $57,200 and 275% above the US national individual median of $56,000. This is a top-quartile income in this state.

State individual median

$57,200

+267%

State household median

$96,505

+118%

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)

$210,000 vs. Massachusetts income benchmarks

Individual median (Massachusetts)

$57,200

+267% vs. this salary

Household median (Massachusetts)

$96,505

+118% 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.