Moving from Washington to Massachusetts: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from Washington to Massachusetts.
Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology
What changes when you move from Washington to Massachusetts
Washington has no state income tax on wages and Massachusetts has graduated income tax rates up to 9%. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $0 in state income tax in Washington and $4,780 in state income tax in Massachusetts. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax rises by $4,780 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,352 a month across Washington's metro areas and $1,695 across Massachusetts's (+25.4%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $67,499 in Washington and $64,181 in Massachusetts. City and county income taxes, which some localities add, are not included in these state-level figures; the metro routes below include them.
Massachusetts Paycheck & Living Costs
Metropolitan Corridors Between Washington & Massachusetts
Moving from Washington to Massachusetts on a $100,000 salary: pay $4,780 more in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $1,695 vs $1,352 a month.
Quick answers
For a single filer earning $100,000 with no local income tax, total federal, FICA and state taxes are $4,780 higher in Massachusetts than in Washington (4.8 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across Massachusetts's metros is $1,695 a month, versus $1,352 in Washington (+25.4%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by -$8,895 a year.
Washington: No State Income Tax, top rate 0%. Massachusetts: Graduated Brackets, top rate 9%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.