Cost Of Living in Northborough, MA

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Northborough	Massachusetts	National
Cost of living	143	133	100
Goods & Services	122	122	100
Groceries	105	105	100
Health care	113	113	100
Housing	197	165	100
Transportation	118	118	100
Utilities	134	134	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Northborough is 7% higher than the Massachusetts average
The cost of living in Northborough is 43% higher than the national average
Northborough housing is 97% higher than the national average
Massachusetts general sales tax is 22% higher than the national average
Massachusetts state income tax is 93% higher than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$156,098	$13,008	$3,642	$4,683
Renters	$56,607	$4,717	$1,321	$1,698

The percentage of monthly income spent on housing related expenses can help predict the affordability of housing in Northborough, MA, as well as what the overall cost of living might be. Generally, a good rule to follow is that the debt-to-income (DTI) level you want to maintain is 28 percent or less of your income on your rent or mortgage payments and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses and debts. In Northborough, homeowners have a median income of $156,098. Using that number, a maximum of $3,642 per month should be allocated to housing expenses. For those who are renting instead of owning, the median income is $56,607, which means there is a maximum of $1,321 to be spent on the costs of renting a home or apartment.

Massachusetts Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Massachusetts	6.25%	6.25%

Massachusetts Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Massachusetts	5%	9%

Goods & Services

Item	Northborough	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$43.72	$24.26	80.2%
Beauty Salon	$65.56	$45.56	43.9%
Toothpaste	$3.53	$3.70	4.7%
Shampoo	$1.49	$1.28	16.4%
Movie	$15.49	$12.13	27.6%
Bowling	$29.33	$18.00	63.0%

Groceries

Item	Northborough	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.48	$5.84	6.2%
Fried Chicken	$1.45	$1.57	8.0%
Milk	$4.76	$4.67	1.9%
Potatoes	$4.99	$4.93	1.1%
Pizza	$12.52	$12.09	3.6%
Beer	$10.21	$10.41	1.9%

Health Care

Item	Northborough	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$123.17	$125.68	2.0%
Doctor	$157.89	$135.78	16.3%
Dentist	$149.22	$113.29	31.7%
Ibuprofen	$11.39	$10.65	6.9%
Lipitor	$384.69	$468.60	17.9%

Housing

Item	Northborough	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$416,900.00	$184,700.00	125.7%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$4,745.89	$2,346.69	102.2%
Apartment Rent	$1,243.00	$949.00	31.0%

Transportation

Item	Northborough	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.43	$3.46	0.9%
Tire Balancing	$97.39	$59.92	62.5%

Utilities

Item	Northborough	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$302.72	$193.99	56.0%
Phone	$187.85	$192.25	2.3%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Oxford, MA	5,926	111	11.0%
Worcester, MA	185,186	114	14.1%
Leominster, MA	41,581	121	20.8%
Clinton, MA	7,058	123	23.0%
South Lancaster, MA	1,575	124	23.8%
Northborough, MA	6,532	143	42.7%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
East Rochester, NY	6,530	91	8.8%
Shannon, QC	6,530	n/a
Camp Swift, TX	6,529	86	13.8%
Mount Vernon, IN	6,535	91	8.6%
Hillsboro, OH	6,535	91	9.3%
Northborough, MA	6,532	143	42.7%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

Cost of Living in Northborough, MA