HEAD TO HEAD
Boston vs New York
New York leads Boston on 4 of 5 factors — but the right pick depends on your priorities.
Boston, MA
wins 1 of 5 factors
New York, NY
wins 4 of 5 factors
Match scores, side by side
| Factor | Boston | New York |
|---|---|---|
| Affordable to buy | 60 | 61 ◆ |
| Affordable to rent | 16 ◆ | 5 |
| Climate comfort | 45 | 64 ◆ |
| Plenty of sunshine | 38 | 41 ◆ |
| Big-city amenities | 94 | 100 ◆ |
By the numbers
| Figure | Boston | New York |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $742K | $728K |
| Typical rent | $3,211/mo | $3,503/mo |
| Average temperature | 9.6°C | 12.3°C |
| Sunshine (solar) | 3.81 kWh/m²/day | 3.92 kWh/m²/day |
| Metro size rank | #10 | #1 |
Home & rent Zillow, May 2026 · climate & sunshine NASA POWER climatology. Scores are normalised 0–100 across all metros; higher is better. A research aid, not advice.