Bellingham, MA Cost Of Living

Bellingham cost of living index

In the event that the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used. Each cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. If the amount is below 100, it is lower than the national average. If the amount is above 100, it is higher than the national average.
Index	Bellingham	Massachusetts	National
Cost of living index	127	131	100
Index	Bellingham	Massachusetts	National
Goods & Services index	129	120	100
Groceries index	111	107	100
Health care index	120	120	100
Housing index	140	165	100
Transportation index	114	106	100
Utilities index	120	123	100

A general summary of the cost of living index in Bellingham, MA is shown above. Compared to the state average of Massachusetts the cost of living index in Bellingham, MA is 127, which is 3% lower than the average in Massachusetts and compared to the national average it is 27% higher than. The cost of living index is made up of several categories. These are transportation at 9%, utilities at 10%, goods and services at 33%, housing at 30%, groceries at 13%, and health care at 5%. The bulk of the cost of living index comes from the categories of goods and services and housing. If you look at everyday goods and services they can be a good indicator in a certain city of the general costs of goods there. In Bellingham, MA goods and services come in at 7% higher than the average in Massachusetts and are 29% higher than compared to the nationwide average.

Did you know?

The cost of living in Bellingham is 3% lower than the Massachusetts average.
The cost of living in Bellingham is 27% higher than the national average.
The cost of housing in Bellingham is 40% higher than the national average.
Massachusetts general sales tax is 23% higher than the national average.
Massachusetts state income tax is 129% higher than the national average.

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Use the salary calculator to compare your current salary in Bellingham, MA to any other city. The salary calculator will tell you how much you would need to earn in any given city to maintain the same standard of living based on the cost of living in each city. For example, if the cost of living in the city you are looking to relocate to is higher than the cost of living in Bellingham, MA, then you would need to earn more income in order to maintain the same standard of living. To use the Bellingham, MA salary calculator, simply enter in the name of the new city, then adjust the slider to your current income. The salary calculator will do the rest and let you know if you need to earn more or less in the new city. You will also see a complete breakdown of the cost of living.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$86,985	$7,249	$2,030	$2,610
Renters	$45,515	$3,793	$1,062	$1,366

If you want to find a good determining factor for the cost of living and the general affordability of housing in Bellingham, MA, all you must look at is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In Bellingham, MA, the median monthly income is $86,985 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $2,030 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $45,515, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $1,062 on monthly rental expenses.

Massachusetts Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Massachusetts	6.25%	6.25%

Massachusetts Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Massachusetts	5.1%	5.1%

When you are determining the total cost of living in Bellingham, MA you will want to make sure you consider both the Massachusetts sales tax and the Massachusetts income tax rates. Sales tax come in the form of taxes levied on both services and goods that are sold. The sales tax rates are different state to state and range from zero sales tax to higher than 7%. The sales tax in Massachusetts is 6.25%, with the highest surtax being 6.25%. Tax that is on income by the government is income tax. Different states have different income tax rates and these rates can be higher or lower dependent on the corresponding tax bracket. The state income tax rates are different state to state and range from no income tax to more than 9% income tax. The income tax rates in Massachusetts have a range from 5.1% to 5.1%.

Goods & Services

Item	Bellingham	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$16.68	$16.09	3.7%
Beauty Salon	$50.37	$37.33	34.9%
Toothpaste	$2.75	$2.45	12.4%
Shampoo	$1.02	$1.00	1.5%
Movie	$12.55	$10.28	22.1%
Bowling	$5.61	$4.93	13.7%

Groceries

Item	Bellingham	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.34	$3.80	12.3%
Fried Chicken	$1.71	$1.40	22.2%
Milk	$2.49	$2.01	24.2%
Potatoes	$3.30	$3.01	9.6%
Pizza	$11.30	$9.89	14.4%
Beer	$9.60	$8.90	7.9%

Health Care

Item	Bellingham	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$136.98	$102.16	34.1%
Doctor	$151.91	$108.36	40.2%
Dentist	$110.63	$92.53	19.6%
Ibuprofen	$9.27	$9.28	0.1%
Lipitor	$409.74	$425.82	3.8%

Housing

Item	Bellingham	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$246,300.00	$184,700.00	33.4%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$2,350.45	$1,202.44	95.5%
Apartment Rent	$1,461.00	$949.00	54.0%

Transportation

Item	Bellingham	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.42	$2.24	8.0%
Tire Balancing	$59.24	$46.29	28.0%

Utilities

Item	Bellingham	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$217.29	$165.96	30.9%
Phone	$31.08	$28.68	8.4%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Central Falls, RI	19,366	107	7%
Woonsocket, RI	41,272	107	7%
Harrisville, RI	1,629	109	9%
Pawtucket, RI	71,389	109	9%
Pascoag, RI	4,915	113	13%
Bellingham, MA	5,376	127	27%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Highwood, IL	5,377	128	28%
Bright, IN	5,375	95	-5%
Breinigsville, PA	5,378	114	14%
Northfield, IL	5,374	161	61%
Goshen, NY	5,378	127	27%
Bellingham, MA	5,376	127	27%

Source: The Bellingham, MA cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for 2017.

Bellingham, MA Cost of Living