Kings County, NY vs Essex County, MA: Cost of Living Difference

Is it cheaper?

Essex County, MA is cheaper than Kings County, NY.

Moving to Essex County, MA is estimated to save $17,219 per year.

Cheaper cost of living

Cheaper County

Essex County, MASave about $17,219 per year.

Salary needed

$50,000 in Kings County, NY is about $39,215 in Essex County, MA.

Biggest drivers

Transport increases by $5,756 per year. Housing saves $9,223 per year.

Housing: $9,223 lower in Essex County, MA

Taxes: $6,430 lower in Essex County, MA

Childcare: about the same in both counties

Healthcare: $4,036 lower in Essex County, MA

Food: $323 lower in Essex County, MA

Transport: $5,756 higher in Essex County, MA

Kings County, NYEssex County, MA
Equivalent salary in Essex County, MA
$39,215
-21.57% lower
Current salary: $50,000
Household: 1 adult · 0 children
Median Income in Kings County, NY: $87,226
Median Income in Essex County, MA: $125,134
Living Index in Kings County, NY 91.53%
Living Index in Essex County, MA 50.04%

This estimate matches your purchasing power (equivalent salary) when moving from Kings County, NY to Essex County, MA.

* Living index is estimated as (estimated total cost / area median income) * 100. A living index above 100% means modeled costs exceed median income.

Cost of Living Breakdown by Category

Summary

Moving from Kings County, NY to Essex County, MA is estimated to save $17,219 per year. A $50,000 salary in Kings County, NY would have similar purchasing power to about $39,215 in Essex County, MA. The largest savings come from housing and taxes.

This is a 21.57% decrease in modeled annual costs. Housing is $9,223 per year lower (32.61%); Taxes is $6,430 per year lower (31.83%).

Below we break down the annual categories behind the difference using Economic Policy Institute 2026 Family Budget data.

What changed the most?

The following cards show the annual category differences that most affect the move to Essex County, MA.

Biggest Cost
Largest annual cost increase when moving to Essex County, MA
Annual Increase:

$5,756 per year

TRANSPORT has the largest annual increase when moving to Essex County, MA.

Biggest Savings
Largest annual savings when moving to Essex County, MA
Annual Savings:

$9,223 per year

HOUSING has the largest annual savings when moving to Essex County, MA.

Breakdown of price percentages per category.

Numbers are average costs per section.

CategoryDifference
Housing-32.61% lower
Food-6.39% lower
Transport82.77% higher
Healthcare-44.88% lower
Other Costs-28.63% lower
Childcare0.00% higher
Taxes-31.83% lower

In Essex County, MA, modeled annual costs are $62,616 compared with $79,835 in Kings County, NY.

Overall, annual costs are lower in Essex County, MA. The category breakdown above shows where the move creates the most room in the budget.

In this case Essex County, MA and Kings County, NY are both metropolitan locations.

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How WatchPennies calculates salary needed
Kings, NY vs Essex, MA Cost Difference