Climate
Boston logs 12 hot days a year to New York City's 22 — Boston wins by 10. New York City also leads on frost days by 21.
Boston
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
New York City
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Boston is $833/mo cheaperBoston runs about $4,582/mo for a balanced lifestyle against New York City's $5,415/mo — Boston comes in $833 cheaper each month, roughly 18% less.
Boston
$4,582monthly · balanced
New York City
$5,415monthly · balanced
Mobility
Boston and New York City score neck-and-neck on mobility (3.8 vs 3.6, 0–5 scale).
Culture
New York City's culture score of 4.8 sits well above Boston's 4.0, with the biggest gap on nightlife.
Nature & Outdoors
Boston and New York City score neck-and-neck on nature & outdoors (4.0 vs 4.0, 0–5 scale).
Safety
Boston's safety score is ~1.4× New York City's — in the middle of the scale, while New York City lands below average, with the biggest gap on road safety. New York City still holds an edge on wildfire safety.
Career
New York City's career score of 5.0 sits well above Boston's 4.6, with the biggest gap on economic scale.
Social & Community
New York City's social & community score is ~1.3× Boston's — in the upper band, while Boston lands in the middle of the scale, with the biggest gap on street atmosphere.
Food & Dining
On food & dining, New York City scores 5.0 vs Boston's 4.2 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on restaurant variety.
Family
On family, New York City scores 4.3 vs Boston's 3.9 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on supermarkets. Boston still holds an edge on playgrounds.
Healthcare
Boston and New York City score neck-and-neck on healthcare (3.5 vs 3.5, 0–5 scale).
Air Quality
Boston averages 6.7 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus New York City's 8.6 µg/m³ (good) — Boston breathes ~22% cleaner air (1.9 µg/m³ lower).
Boston
New York City
PM2.5 annual average
WHO classification
City Scale
Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.
Boston (1.7M) and New York City (14.2M) are 8.5x in population — New York City is the larger metro, Boston the smaller; on land area New York City spans roughly 6.0x more ground.
New York City is roughly 7.1x the scale of Boston
Combined population & area comparison
New York CityBostonCity Scale Rankings
New York City14.2M8.5xBoston1.7M1xNew York City3,031 km²6.0xBoston508 km²1xBoston
New York City
Who Thrives Here
Boston favours the safety seeker, while New York City suits the sunshine lover. Both cities work well for the english speaker.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Boston vs New York City
▶Which is cheaper, Boston or New York City?
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The best city depends on what matters to you
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