Moving to Massachusetts: City Guides, Checklist & Tips
Updated July 2026
Massachusetts charges a flat 5% state income tax on most income, with a 4% surtax layered on above about $1.11 million as of 2026 — a moderate rate for a state whose cost of living runs about 28% above the national average. Boston, the state's capital and largest city at 673,000 residents (4.9 million in the metro), anchors that premium with a cost of living index of 162 and a median home price of $865,000, offset by a Walk Score of 83 and one of the densest concentrations of hospitals and universities in the country. Worcester, the state's second-largest city 45 miles west, runs a cost of living index of 111.5 — a fraction of Boston's — with a $375,000 median home price. Springfield, further west, is cheaper still. This hub collects our city-by-city relocation guides for Massachusetts, plus the practical steps to become a resident.
Massachusetts City Guides
Boston
The state capital and economic engine — world-leading healthcare and biotech, a median home price of $865,000, and a Walk Score of 83.
Read the Boston guide →Worcester
New England's second-largest city — Boston's amenities within reach at roughly a quarter less cost of living.
Guide coming soonSpringfield
A Western Massachusetts hub on the Connecticut River, with the most affordable housing of the three.
Guide coming soon
Massachusetts Living and Vacationing Quick Reference
Living here
- State income tax
- A flat 5% on most income, plus a 4% surtax on income above about $1.11 million as of 2026
- Sales tax
- 6.25% statewide, with no local additions and no tax on groceries or clothing under $175
- Median home price
- About $667,000 statewide as of 2026 — $865,000 in Boston, $375,000 in Worcester
- Cost of living
- About 28% above the national average statewide; Boston runs 62% above, Worcester about 12% above
- Driver's license deadline
- No fixed statutory day-count for new residents — the RMV requires converting an out-of-state license "promptly," while vehicle registration is due within 30 days
- Population
- About 7.15 million as of 2025, the 16th most populous state
Visiting first
- Main airport
- Boston Logan International (BOS), New England's busiest
- Signature outdoors
- No national park, but Cape Cod National Seashore and the Berkshires give the state both coast and mountains
- Best scouting months
- September and October — fall foliage season, before winter sets in
- The "Taxachusetts" reputation, honestly
- The nickname predates the state's current flat 5% income tax rate — middling by Northeast standards — and mostly reflects Massachusetts's genuinely high cost of living and property taxes, not its income tax
- The USS Constitution
- The world's oldest commissioned warship still afloat is berthed in Boston, with an active-duty Navy crew giving free tours year-round
- Getting around
- Boston's MBTA subway (the T) lets many residents skip car ownership entirely; outside the metro, a car is standard
How Massachusetts Got Its Name
Massachusetts takes its name from the Massachusett people, whose word for "at the great hill" — massa-adchu-es-et — described the Blue Hills south of Boston Harbor. English settlers adopted the name for the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1620s, and it has stuck through four centuries with barely a spelling change. The state carries an equally old military distinction: the USS Constitution, launched from a Boston shipyard in 1797, is the world's oldest commissioned warship still afloat, its active-duty crew still giving free tours from a berth at the old Charlestown Navy Yard. Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford adds a newer thread — a non-flying installation that has developed the Air Force's command-and-control and cyber systems since 1945.
How to Become a Massachusetts Resident
Establishing residency unlocks a Massachusetts driver's license, vehicle registration, in-state tuition, and resident access to state parks and programs. You establish residency in Massachusetts by doing any one of the following — you don't need all of them:
- Renting or buying a house or apartment in Massachusetts
- Working for a Massachusetts employer
- Registering to vote in Massachusetts
- Operating a business located in Massachusetts
- Enrolling children in a Massachusetts primary or secondary school
Massachusetts Moving Checklist
- Transfer your driver's license and register your vehicle — deadlines in the quick reference above
- Register to vote at your new address
- Get a new car insurance policy that meets Massachusetts requirements
- Transfer medical and dental records and find new providers
- Enroll your child in your new school district
- Set up utilities and file your change of address with USPS
- Review the tax picture: Massachusetts has a flat 5% state income tax, with a 4% surtax above about $1.11 million
Questions Movers Ask About Massachusetts
Does Massachusetts have an income tax?
Yes — a flat 5% on most income as of 2026, with an additional 4% surtax on income above roughly $1.11 million (the "Fair Share Amendment," adjusted annually for inflation). That combined 9% top rate only applies to income over the threshold; the base rate for most residents is 5%.
How expensive is it to live in Massachusetts?
Living costs run about 28% above the national average statewide, driven mostly by housing. Boston is the extreme case at a cost of living index of 162 (62% above average) and an $865,000 median home price. Worcester, the state's second-largest city, runs far cheaper at an index of about 111.5 and a $375,000 median home.
How long do I have to get a Massachusetts driver's license after moving?
Massachusetts doesn't publish a fixed day-count for converting an out-of-state license the way some states do — the RMV expects new residents to convert it once they've established residency, using a residency document no older than 60 days. Vehicle registration has a clearer deadline: 30 days after establishing residency.
Is Massachusetts really as expensive as its "Taxachusetts" reputation suggests?
The nickname is older than the current tax code and increasingly misleading on the income-tax point — Massachusetts charges a flat 5%, middling for the Northeast. The state genuinely is expensive, but the cost shows up in housing and property taxes, concentrated heavily in and around Boston, not in an unusually high income tax rate.
When should I visit Massachusetts before deciding to move?
September and October show the state at its best — mild temperatures and some of the country's most celebrated fall foliage. A winter visit is worth adding too: nor'easters and a long heating season are real costs of living here, both financially and in day-to-day life.
Which Massachusetts city should I move to?
It depends on your budget. Boston offers the deepest healthcare, biotech, and education job market in the state at the highest cost of living. Worcester delivers real access to that same region at a cost of living index roughly a third lower. Springfield, farther west on the Connecticut River, is the most affordable of the three.
Moving to Massachusetts from Another State?
We compare the two states side by side — taxes, housing, and what changes on day one:
Sources and Data Notes
Residency options, license and vehicle-registration deadlines, and tax rates on this page reflect requirements published by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles and the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. Cost, housing, and job-market figures draw on the public datasets used across ScoutLocale's city guides, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, BestPlaces.net, and Niche.com.
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