landable/cost of living comparison
vs

01 · the cities

Boston

Boston is brick sidewalks, dive bars older than most states, and an accent that turns 'park the car' into a love language. The city is densely packed with colleges (Harvard, MIT, BU, BC, plus 30 more), which keeps it perpetually 22 years old in spirit. The Freedom Trail literally paints a red line through 400 years of American history. Dunkin' is not a chain here, it's a way of life.

full dispatch

Albany

Albany is one of the oldest chartered cities in America (1686), with the New York state capitol building wearing every architectural style from Romanesque to Victorian on different sides. The Hudson River and the surrounding Adirondacks and Berkshires give it a serious nature backbone. Five colleges feed in young energy, and Lark Street is the local main drag for food and bars. Quieter than its neighbors, and full of layers.

full dispatch

02 · the money

Median rent

$3,145/mo

$1,643/mo

$1,502/mo less than Boston (91%)

Median home price

$771k

$361k

$410k less than Boston

State income tax

5.0%

5.9%

Gross left after rent

$4,772/mo

$6,203/mo

Albany has $1,431/mo more gross after rent at $100k

Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.

03 · the weather

Pleasant days/yr

160 days

147 days

13 fewer than Boston

Extreme heat days

2 days

0 days

days above 95°F per year

Extreme cold days

33 days

62 days

days below 20°F per year

Albany drops below 20°F on 29 more days per year than Boston.

04 · the life

OutdoorScore

71 / 100

72 / 100

Walk Score®

98 / 100

91 / 100

7 pts behind Boston

Nonstop flights

103 routes

19 routes

84 fewer direct routes than Boston

Metro size

4.9M metro

905k metro

Boston has 6.5x more events per month than Albany.

the verdict

4

Boston

categories won

of 9

3

Albany

categories won

Boston wins on weather and lifestyle. Albany has the edge on money.

run your numbers

How far does your Boston salary go?

Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.

see your top cities

We use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.

Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works