Boston is one of U.S. News & World Report’s top 25 “Best Places to Live.”
In fact, the city comes in at No. 8.
To determine its ranking, U.S. News considered Boston’s quality of life and job market, as well as “the value of living there and people’s desire to live there,” the report read.
Where Boston really stood out was in its culture, and history, and the educational opportunities it affords residents.
The report’s Boston expert, Lauren Liebhaber, wrote in her profile of the city: “Boston is a region of dualism, often feeling like a small town with all the perks of city life. The metro area houses a diverse culinary scene, an appreciation for and access to the arts and proximity to world-class educational institutions, employers and health care. It is historic, but ever evolving.”
But as our below table shows, Boston received strong in several categories. For its “net migration” and “quality of life” the city received 6.7 put of 10 ratings, while it scored an 8.2 for its “desirability” and a whopping 8.9 for its “job market.”
| Categories | Boston |
| Desirability | 8.2 |
| Value | 5.8 |
| Job Market | 8.9 |
| Quality of Life | 6.7 |
| Net Migration | 6.7 |
| Overall Rating | 7.1 |
The one area where Boston did not excel was “value.” Because of the area’s ever shallowing home inventory, housing costs have skyrocketed in the area. At $321,436, the city’s median home value is more than $100,000 above the nation’s. Add housing to the area’s medical and food costs, which range from 15 to 28 percent higher than the national average, and Boston becomes quite unaffordable for a great many.