Bellingham, Massachusetts Cost Of Living

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F

Overall 23%

Goods & Services 19%

Housing 40%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2022 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Bellingham	Massachusetts	National
Cost of living	123	130	100
Goods & Services	119	117	100
Groceries	108	119	100
Health care	106	118	100
Housing	140	165	100
Transportation	107	111	100
Utilities	128	111	100

Key findings

The cost of living in Bellingham is 6% lower than the Massachusetts average
The cost of living in Bellingham is 23% higher than the national average
Bellingham housing is 40% higher than the national average
Massachusetts general sales tax is 23% higher than the national average
Massachusetts state income tax is 103% 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

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

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in Bellingham, MA, 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, 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%	5%

Goods & Services

Item	Bellingham	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$24.67	$20.27	21.7%
Beauty Salon	$47.48	$40.39	17.5%
Toothpaste	$2.24	$2.36	4.9%
Shampoo	$0.94	$1.08	12.7%
Movie	$13.00	$10.99	18.3%
Bowling	$19.49	$15.49	25.8%

Groceries

Item	Bellingham	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.99	$4.30	7.1%
Fried Chicken	$1.75	$1.40	25.1%
Milk	$2.62	$2.20	19.1%
Potatoes	$3.92	$3.22	21.8%
Pizza	$10.07	$10.74	6.2%
Beer	$9.93	$9.60	3.5%

Health Care

Item	Bellingham	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$130.63	$109.73	19.1%
Doctor	$157.77	$118.34	33.3%
Dentist	$92.70	$100.94	8.2%
Ibuprofen	$9.66	$9.93	2.8%
Lipitor	$443.20	$469.53	5.6%

Housing

Item	Bellingham	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$246,300.00	$184,700.00	33.4%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,357.76	$1,229.62	10.4%
Apartment Rent	$1,461.00	$949.00	54.0%

Transportation

Item	Bellingham	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.75	$2.71	1.4%
Tire Balancing	$60.90	$51.86	17.4%

Utilities

Item	Bellingham	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$251.32	$170.84	47.1%
Phone	$192.37	$187.18	2.8%

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	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Central Falls, RI	19,366	106	6.0%
Woonsocket, RI	41,272	106	6.5%
Harrisville, RI	1,629	108	8.2%
Pawtucket, RI	71,389	108	8.2%
Pascoag, RI	4,915	112	12.0%
Bellingham, MA	5,376	123	22.7%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Bright, IN	5,375	94	5.9%
Highwood, IL	5,377	126	26.3%
Northfield, IL	5,374	159	59.1%
Twin Lakes, CA	5,378	176	76.2%
Goshen, NY	5,378	117	17.4%
Bellingham, MA	5,376	123	22.7%

Source: This data reflects 2021 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.