Cost of living in Wellesley 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 Wellesley 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 Wellesley is 216, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Wellesley is 2.2x higher than the national average.
Wellesley ranks as the #113 cheapest in Massachusetts out of 113.
Wellesley ranks as the #6,345 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Wellesley is $1,251,800.
The median income in Wellesley is $226,250.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Wellesley has an overall cost of living index of 216, which is 2.2x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to Massachusetts, Wellesley has a cost of living index that's 1.5x higher than Massachusetts's index of 143.
The standard of living in Wellesley ranks as #113 most affordable out of the 113 places we measured in Massachusetts. By definition, that implies Wellesley ranks as the #0 most expensive place in the Bay State.
For more reading on life in Wellesley, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Wellesley. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Wellesley is 130.
The Groceries index in Wellesley is 109.
The Health index in Wellesley is 122.
The Housing index in Wellesley is 432.
The Transportation index in Wellesley is 115.
The Utilities index in Wellesley is 119.
Living Expense | Wellesley | Massachusetts | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 216 | 143 | 100 | |
Services | 130 | 126 | 100 | |
Groceries | 109 | 108 | 100 | |
Health | 122 | 117 | 100 | |
Housing | 432 | 202 | 100 | |
Transportation | 115 | 114 | 100 | |
Utilities | 119 | 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 Wellesley is $1,251,800.
The Median Rent in Wellesley is $2,329.
The Median Income in Wellesley is $226,250.
The Home Value To Income in Wellesley is 5.5x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Wellesley is 0.12x.
Statistic | Wellesley | Massachusetts | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $1,251,800 | $424,700 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $2,329 | $1,429 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $226,250 | $89,026 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 5.5x | 4.8x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.12x | 0.19x | 0.2x |
Item | Wellesley | Massachusetts |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $1.02 | $1.06 |
Movie | $12.55 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $5.61 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $16.68 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $50.37 | $39.05 |
Item | Wellesley | Massachusetts |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $3.34 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.71 | $1.39 |
Milk | $2.49 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $3.3 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $11.3 | $10.62 |
Beer | $9.6 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $2.75 | $2.34 |
Item | Wellesley | Massachusetts |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $136.98 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $151.91 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $110.63 | $99.13 |
Item | Wellesley | Massachusetts |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $2.42 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $59.24 | $50.07 |
Item | Wellesley | Massachusetts |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $217.29 | $167.67 |
Phone | $31.08 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Wellesley. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Newton, MA has a cost of living index of 192, 0.9x Wellesley.
Waltham, MA has a cost of living index of 150, 0.7x Wellesley.
Brookline, MA has a cost of living index of 191, 0.9x Wellesley.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Wellesley |
---|---|---|---|
Newton, MA | 88,647 | 192 | 0.9x |
Waltham, MA | 64,655 | 150 | 0.7x |
Brookline, MA | 62,620 | 191 | 0.9x |
Arlington, MA | 46,045 | 162 | 0.8x |
Lexington, MA | 34,235 | 190 | 0.9x |
Needham, MA | 31,808 | 180 | 0.8x |
Belmont, MA | 27,056 | 181 | 0.8x |
Reading, MA | 25,483 | 152 | 0.7x |
Dedham, MA | 25,308 | 141 | 0.7x |
Winchester, MA | 22,875 | 190 | 0.9x |