Boston and New York are beyond compare. These cities are very different from each other. You will notice a sudden change of lifestyle when you chose to move in from New York to Boston or Boston to New York.
Choosing between Boston and New York as the best place to live greatly depends on your preferences. If you are looking for plenty of opportunities,New York is the best place to live.
The two cities are never alike. New York is a massive city compared to Boston, both in size and population. Urban planning in New York is also contrasting to that of Boston. NYC has grid-like planning making it more organized and structured. Boston, on the one hand, is more of a helter-skelter kind.
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How does New York compare to Boston?
Boston Living
Boston will look very small when you compare its population size to New York. The Big Apple has a population sixteen times larger than Boston. NYC is home to more than 8.5 million people, while Boston has only 675,000.
With this much of a population in New York, but only double the size of Boston in land area, NYC is very congested. It is also more densely populated, with more than 72,000 people per square mile.
There are more spaces in Boston than in New York. You can own a spacious house in Boston, which is impossible in New York. You have no choice but to squeeze in yourself in NYC’s tiny apartments with fewer amenities. But in Boston, you can still have the luxury of space.
New York Living
In terms of things to do, New York is still the larger city. It is the city the never sleeps. You will never run out of things to do, even in the middle of the night. You can find a place to eat at any hour in NYC. Nightlife is also vibrant in New York. Bars and clubs are open all night, with plenty of party-goers having the best times of their lives.
Whereas in Boston, people are more formal and severe. The city has a reputation for being an education center. There are younger residents in Boston living the student life. Unlike NYC that does not sleep, Boston shuts down after midnight.
By these comparisons, you will notice that NYC and Boston welcome diverse demography. NYC is the city for you if you are the active and vibrant kind living the best time of your life. However, if you want peace and structured living, Boston is the ideal pick for you.
Is Boston older than NYC?
Boston’s city is always romanticized as one of the oldest cities in the US and New York as the most modern. Yet, The Big Apple is older than Boston.
Boston is full of history relative to the independence of the United States. There are iconic landmarks in the city associated with the country’s independence. Key events about American Revolution happened in Boston. It includes the Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party, Siege of Boston, and Battle of Bunker Hill. These are the reasons why Boston may seem older than New York.
However, the bird date of New York is 1624, which is earlier than Boston in 1630. It is a colonial city that experienced Dutch, English rule, and American Revolution.
It is home to America’s protected landmarks, interior landmarks, and scenic landmarks. These landmarks demonstrated the city’s rich and colorful history.
How does Boston compare to New York?
Boston and New York are two different cities. Comparing them will highlight each city’s strengths and weaknesses. Here are some of the critical areas to consider when comparing between Boston and New York:
- Work opportunities
- Food scene
- Climate
- Crime Rate
New York is a land of opportunities. There are massive career opportunities for you in New York.
It accepts people from different walks of life. If you want to climb the corporate ladder, the city’s tallest buildings have jobs for you. In case you are on the arts and letters side, there are plenty of theaters to choose from.
Whether you have an Ivy League diploma or have not touched university life, there is work for you. Yet, competition is tough in this city, and you need to toughen up to survive.
On the other side, Boston is ideal for people pursuing a career in health, tech, finance, among others. Having a university diploma is also essential in Boston than in New York. Since it is a city with lots of higher education to offer, people are more likely to get a career in major industries.
New York is a global city offering you the best cuisines you can find all over the world. It has fantastic restaurants and food spots that are hard to ignore. You will never run out of food to eat and try when you stay in New York. The city has a great food scene and continually changing depending on what’s in and what’s new.
Boston can also serve you clean dishes you would want to try again and again. It offers you unique flavors which you cannot find anywhere in the country. The city has its tweak of Japanese food, even Mediterranean food. The good part of it, great chefs prepared the food served on your plate.
Boston has harsh and freezing winters. People planning to move to the city will have a second thought due to the weather. Winter in this city can be challenging, that you might want to cross it out of your list of most preferred cities. On the other side, winter in New York tends to be chilly, as well. Yet, it is less harsh compared to Boston.
New York is a tough city. Anyone would agree that the city is for people who have the guts to survive. You live in New York because you want to be there despite having a reputation of being tough.
However, data showed that in violent and property crime, Boston and NYC are comparable. But, of course, there are more peaceful neighborhoods in Boston compared to New York.
Is it more expensive to live in Boston vs. NYC?
New York City is more expensive than Boston. Both cities made to the top list of the United States most expensive city. Boston real estate is expensive already, but New York is skyrocketing.
Getting an affordable small apartment in New York is difficult to find. However, there are neighborhoods in Boston offering you lower prices.
Even though New York is a land of opportunities, living here will cost you a price. Here is how these two cities compare in the aspect of the cost of living.
- Rent is almost 35% higher in NYC compared to New York. Anyone would agree that New York has the highest rent rate among the cities of America. Since the city is running out of available real estate spaces, the house rate continues to go higher.
- Food and restaurant are 20% higher in New York than in Boston. Even the grocery and other necessities will cost you a lot in New York.
- Entertainment and leisure are also at a staggering price. Whenever you go out for some entertainment, you need to open your wallet, shell out some cash in the city of New York.
New York is a costly city; choosing to live here means paying for every activity you want to do. It would be best if you did a double job to pay your rent in New York City. The apartment rate itself can already cost you your monthly earnings.
Is Boston safer than New York?
Boston is safer than New York. You will feel safer living in Boston than in New York.
Even though New York is more dangerous, its crime rates are lower than the national average.
The Big Apple has a violent crime rate of 3.5% compared to the national average of 3.7%. On the other side, it has a property crime rate of 14.4%, in contrast to the national average of 22%.
Even though it is a tough city, New York City has addressed its crime and safety concerns. The city’s crime is continuously dropping due to the city’s policy of zero crime tolerance. For the last ten years, the city’s crime rate has fallen to more than 50%. It is a vast improvement. If there is much sustainability on peace and order efforts, it will continually go down.
Boston, on the other side, is one of the safest cities in the United States. It is more peaceful to live in Boston than in NYC. Fewer crimes are occurring in Boston the New York. Another, more neighborhoods are safer in Boston compared to New York.
Is Boston cleaner than New York?
New York has a reputation of being dirty. Compared to Boston, of course, New York is dirtier. The city received a dirtiness index of 427.9. By this, Boston is cleaner than New York.
It surpassed more than 40 cities in the United States. It also topped the board in the aspect of litter and garbage occurrence in the city.
If the city government addressed its safety and crime concerns, there is much work to clean NYC. With a high population density, the amount of garbage per household is uncontrollable.
There are efforts to address the issues; however, it is a complex task with more than eight million people. Data combined from agencies on the environment point to NYC as the dirtiest.
On the other side, Boston is not the cleanest city at all. The city has a reputation for having unsafe water. A few years ago, the city government made a committed effort to clean Boston Harbor. The Boston Harbor, a few years back, was called a Harbor of Shame.
It underwent a 30-year cleanup drive to be able to address the growing pollution in the harbor. Today, removing toxic chemicals from the port proved to be a success. The present-day sanctuary is more presentable and healthier.
Living in big cities with massive development also corresponds to pollution. The influx of people moving into the town means there will be more garbage. The commercial buildings and factories also bring environmental problems to the city.
Given that New York is a more extensive and more significant city, it is also expected to be dirtier. As it is more developed compared to Boston, more commercial establishments produce waste.
Conclusion
Boston and New York are very different cities. Both cities stand out in their unique way. New York is more progressive and vibrant with plenty of offerings. The two towns have cultural offerings and opportunities which you want to try all.
Boston is more structured that offers you better stability. Moving into Boston and New York also means accepting a different way of life. If you came from a small town and more provincial state, New York might be overwhelming to you. You might prefer to go to Boston than New York. If you came from loud and colorful cities like San Francisco and LA, New York is not much of an adjustment.