CITY COMPARISON
Boston vs Tampa Cost of Living: Which Is Cheaper in 2026?
Data updated May 2026. Rent from Zillow ZORI, taxes from the Tax Foundation, cost-of-living index from BEA.
Boston to Tampa is a Northeast-to-Florida move with a straightforward tax case. Massachusetts taxes income. Florida does not.
Massachusetts uses a flat 5 percent income tax. Florida charges nothing on wage income. Tampa rent is well below Boston's, and the cost of living sits closer to the national average.
Is Boston or Tampa cheaper to live in?
At a $100,000 salary, moving from Boston to Tampa frees up roughly $24,800 a year in disposable income. At $150,000 the gap widens to about $27,300 a year in Tampa's favor.
Tampa wins on cost. No state income tax, lower rent, and a friendlier cost of living. Boston competes on its biotech, academic, and medical cluster, not on price or weather.
DISPOSABLE INCOME: MOVING BOSTON → TAMPA
AT A $100,000 SALARY
in Tampa's favor
AT A $150,000 SALARY
in Tampa's favor
Assumes the same gross salary in both cities (the remote-work case) and a single filer renting at the local median. Positive means Tampa leaves more money after tax, housing, and everyday costs.
Full cost breakdown: Boston vs Tampa
Here is where every dollar goes in each city, at two salary levels. Taxes, housing, and everyday costs are all in.
AT A $100,000 SALARY
| Line item | Boston | Tampa |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $100,000 | $100,000 |
| Federal income tax | -$15,000 | -$15,000 |
| State income tax (5%) Tampa: (0%) | -$5,000 | -$0 |
| FICA (Social Security + Medicare) | -$7,650 | -$7,650 |
| Housing (median rent) ($2,480/mo) Tampa: ($1,560/mo) | -$29,760 | -$18,720 |
| Other living costs (COL index 162) Tampa: (COL index 105) | -$39,300 | -$30,750 |
| Sales tax on spending (6.25%) Tampa: (7%) | -$1,719 | -$1,507 |
| Disposable income / year | $1,571 | $26,373 |
AT A $150,000 SALARY
| Line item | Boston | Tampa |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $150,000 | $150,000 |
| Federal income tax | -$27,000 | -$27,000 |
| State income tax (5%) Tampa: (0%) | -$7,500 | -$0 |
| FICA (Social Security + Medicare) | -$11,475 | -$11,475 |
| Housing (median rent) ($2,480/mo) Tampa: ($1,560/mo) | -$29,760 | -$18,720 |
| Other living costs (COL index 162) Tampa: (COL index 105) | -$39,300 | -$30,750 |
| Sales tax on spending (6.25%) Tampa: (7%) | -$1,719 | -$1,507 |
| Disposable income / year | $33,246 | $60,548 |
Boston vs Tampa: taxes, rent, and schools at a glance
| Metric | Boston | Tampa |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax | 5% | None |
| Median 1-bedroom rent | $2,480/mo | $1,560/mo |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 7% |
| Cost-of-living index (US avg = 100) | 162 | 105 |
| School composite rating (1-10) | 7/10 | 6/10 |
Who should pick Boston?
Stay in Boston if your work is in academia, medicine, or biotech. The cost premium is real, but for those fields the concentration of institutions justifies it.
Who should pick Tampa?
Pick Tampa if you can carry a Boston salary into Florida or land a comparable role there. Zero state income tax and lower rent compound, and the climate is the obvious bonus.
How we calculated this
Disposable income is gross salary minus federal income tax, state income tax, FICA, housing, everyday non-housing costs, and sales tax on discretionary spending. Federal tax uses 2026 effective rates after the standard deduction for a single filer. State income tax is a single-bracket approximation for mid-six-figure earners. Housing is the median 1-bedroom rent. Non-housing costs scale with the BEA cost-of-living index. Sales tax is applied to roughly 70 percent of discretionary spending, since groceries and many services are reduced-rate or exempt in most states.
The numbers on this page assume the same gross salary in both cities. That is the remote-work scenario, and it is the cleanest way to isolate the cost-of-living difference. If a new job would rebase your salary by city, plug both real offers into the tool below.
Run your own Boston vs Tampa numbers
The interactive Move-To-City tool lets you set different salaries for each city, enter your actual rent, switch filing status, and see the full FIRE-timeline impact of the move.
Open the Move-To-City tool →KEEP READING
Educational only, not financial advice. Cost-of-living estimates are modeled approximations from public data and will not match any individual budget exactly. Verify rent, tax, and salary figures for your own situation before making a move.