Cost of living in Somerville research summary. The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in the United States. A cost of living index above 100 means Somerville is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.
On a city-by-city basis in Massachusetts, home prices and rent have the biggest impact on the cost of living. Here are the key takeaways based on Saturday Night Science:
The cost of living index in Somerville is 158, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Somerville is 1.6x higher than the national average.
Somerville ranks as the #97 cheapest in Massachusetts out of 113.
Somerville ranks as the #5,974 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Somerville is $739,900.
The median income in Somerville is $108,896.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Somerville has an overall cost of living index of 158, which is 1.6x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to Massachusetts, Somerville has a cost of living index that's 1.1x higher than Massachusetts's index of 143.
The standard of living in Somerville ranks as #97 most affordable out of the 113 places we measured in Massachusetts. By definition, that implies Somerville ranks as the #16 most expensive place in the Bay State.
For more reading on life in Somerville, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Somerville. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Somerville is 125.
The Groceries index in Somerville is 112.
The Health index in Somerville is 122.
The Housing index in Somerville is 243.
The Transportation index in Somerville is 109.
The Utilities index in Somerville is 120.
Living Expense | Somerville | Massachusetts | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 158 | 143 | 100 | |
Services | 125 | 126 | 100 | |
Groceries | 112 | 108 | 100 | |
Health | 122 | 117 | 100 | |
Housing | 243 | 202 | 100 | |
Transportation | 109 | 114 | 100 | |
Utilities | 120 | 123 | 100 |
Housing swings affordability the most between places in Massachusetts, so we broke down housing costs into more detail. Home and income data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2017-2021. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Somerville is $739,900.
The Median Rent in Somerville is $2,152.
The Median Income in Somerville is $108,896.
The Home Value To Income in Somerville is 6.8x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Somerville is 0.24x.
Statistic | Somerville | Massachusetts | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $739,900 | $424,700 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $2,152 | $1,429 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $108,896 | $89,026 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 6.8x | 4.8x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.24x | 0.19x | 0.2x |
Item | Somerville | Massachusetts |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $1.0 | $1.06 |
Movie | $14.43 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $21.0 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $34.97 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $64.17 | $39.05 |
Item | Somerville | Massachusetts |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $3.74 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.64 | $1.39 |
Milk | $2.27 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $4.02 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $11.16 | $10.62 |
Beer | $9.29 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $2.3 | $2.34 |
Item | Somerville | Massachusetts |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $102.75 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $194.0 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $108.27 | $99.13 |
Item | Somerville | Massachusetts |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $2.19 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $64.47 | $50.07 |
Item | Somerville | Massachusetts |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $233.87 | $167.67 |
Phone | $181.11 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Somerville. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Cambridge, MA has a cost of living index of 172, 1.1x Somerville.
Newton, MA has a cost of living index of 192, 1.2x Somerville.
Malden, MA has a cost of living index of 137, 0.9x Somerville.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Somerville |
---|---|---|---|
Cambridge, MA | 116,892 | 172 | 1.1x |
Newton, MA | 88,647 | 192 | 1.2x |
Malden, MA | 65,602 | 137 | 0.9x |
Brookline, MA | 62,620 | 191 | 1.2x |
Medford, MA | 60,708 | 147 | 0.9x |
Everett, MA | 48,368 | 137 | 0.9x |
Arlington, MA | 46,045 | 162 | 1.0x |
Chelsea, MA | 40,025 | 127 | 0.8x |
Lexington, MA | 34,235 | 190 | 1.2x |
Needham, MA | 31,808 | 180 | 1.1x |