NextChapter

Best cities for pay after cost of living in the Northeast

Cambridge leads the Northeast for pay after the cost of living: its median posted salary buys what $186k buys at average US prices.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Cambridge, MA: $186k
  • #2 Waltham, MA: $183k
  • #3 Princeton, NJ: $164k
  • 19 cities ranked in the Northeast
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: $136k across the typical city in our data.

  1. 1Cambridge MA$186k
  2. 2Waltham MA$183k
  3. 3Princeton NJ$164k
  4. 4Lexington MA$161k
  5. 5Quincy MA$161k
  6. 6Boston MA$157k
  7. 7New York NY$147k
  8. 8Jersey City NJ$142k
  9. 9Somerville MA$137k
  10. 10Hartford CT$128k

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Cambridge leads on $186k, and #10 Hartford is at $128k.
  • Hartford reaches #10 on a sample of 50 openings with pay posted, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • New York is the largest market in the top ten, with 6,894 openings with pay posted behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 100 openings with pay posted are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Cambridge MA

    $186k

    Median posted pay
    $197k
    State prices vs US average
    +6%
    Openings with pay posted
    289

    Hiring most here: The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Harvard University, Biogen

    Based on 289 openings with pay posted.

  2. 2

    Waltham MA

    $183k

    Median posted pay
    $194k
    State prices vs US average
    +6%
    Openings with pay posted
    173

    Hiring most here: Boston Dynamics, Anduril Industries, Xometry

    Based on 173 openings with pay posted.

  3. 3

    Princeton NJ

    $164k

    Median posted pay
    $178k
    State prices vs US average
    +9%
    Openings with pay posted
    91

    Hiring most here: Genmab A/S, Otsuka, ZS Associates

    Based on 91 openings with pay posted.

  4. 4

    Lexington MA

    $161k

    Median posted pay
    $171k
    State prices vs US average
    +6%
    Openings with pay posted
    67

    Hiring most here: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Lincoln Lab), Takeda Development Center Americas, Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International

    Based on 67 openings with pay posted.

  5. 5

    Quincy MA

    $161k

    Median posted pay
    $170k
    State prices vs US average
    +6%
    Openings with pay posted
    79

    Hiring most here: State Street, Anduril Industries, Anduril

    Based on 79 openings with pay posted.

  6. 6

    Boston MA

    $157k

    Median posted pay
    $170k
    Local prices vs US average
    +8%
    Openings with pay posted
    1,305

    Hiring most here: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, State Street, Confidential

    Based on 1,305 openings with pay posted.

  7. 7

    New York NY

    $147k

    Median posted pay
    $165k
    Local prices vs US average
    +13%
    Openings with pay posted
    6,894

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley

    Based on 6,894 openings with pay posted.

  8. 8

    Jersey City NJ

    $142k

    Median posted pay
    $155k
    State prices vs US average
    +9%
    Openings with pay posted
    73

    Hiring most here: DTCC, Verisk Analytics, JPMorgan Chase

    Based on 73 openings with pay posted.

  9. 9

    Somerville MA

    $137k

    Median posted pay
    $145k
    State prices vs US average
    +6%
    Openings with pay posted
    173

    Hiring most here: Formlabs, Tulip Interfaces, Generate Biomedicines

    Based on 173 openings with pay posted.

  10. 10

    Hartford CT

    $128k

    Median posted pay
    $133k
    State prices vs US average
    +4%
    Openings with pay posted
    50

    Hiring most here: CVS HEALTH, Hartford HealthCare, Eversource Energy

    Based on 50 openings with pay posted.

  11. 11

    Brooklyn NY

    $126k

    Median posted pay
    $142k
    Local prices vs US average
    +13%
    Openings with pay posted
    168

    Hiring most here: SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Williams-Sonoma, Altana AI

    Based on 168 openings with pay posted.

  12. 12

    Philadelphia PA

    $122k

    Median posted pay
    $125k
    Local prices vs US average
    +3%
    Openings with pay posted
    283

    Hiring most here: Confidential, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, GSK

    Based on 283 openings with pay posted.

  13. 13

    White Plains NY

    $121k

    Median posted pay
    $136k
    Local prices vs US average
    +13%
    Openings with pay posted
    52

    Hiring most here: New York Power Authority, FormativGroup, RWE Clean Energy

    Based on 52 openings with pay posted.

  14. 14

    Pittsburgh PA

    $119k

    Median posted pay
    $113k
    Local prices vs US average
    −5%
    Openings with pay posted
    148

    Hiring most here: PNC Financial Services Group, Highmark Health, UPMC

    Based on 148 openings with pay posted.

  15. 15

    Newark NJ

    $114k

    Median posted pay
    $124k
    State prices vs US average
    +9%
    Openings with pay posted
    94

    Hiring most here: Broadridge Financial Solutions, Amazon, Audible

    Based on 94 openings with pay posted.

  16. 16

    Syracuse NY

    $110k

    Median posted pay
    $118k
    State prices vs US average
    +8%
    Openings with pay posted
    58

    Hiring most here: Upstate Medical University, Hidden Level, HII Mission Technologies

    Based on 58 openings with pay posted.

  17. 17

    Buffalo NY

    $100k

    Median posted pay
    $108k
    State prices vs US average
    +8%
    Openings with pay posted
    86

    Hiring most here: Moog Military Aircraft, University at Buffalo, Moog

    Based on 86 openings with pay posted.

  18. 18

    Albany NY

    $95k

    Median posted pay
    $103k
    State prices vs US average
    +8%
    Openings with pay posted
    79

    Hiring most here: KPMG, New York State, Broadview Credit Union

    Based on 79 openings with pay posted.

  19. 19

    Rochester NY

    $92k

    Median posted pay
    $99k
    State prices vs US average
    +8%
    Openings with pay posted
    60

    Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, Harris Health Strategic Fund, Rochester Institute of Technology

    Based on 60 openings with pay posted.

Full ranking

All 19 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Cambridge MA$186k289
2Waltham MA$183k173
3Princeton NJ$164k91
4Lexington MA$161k67
5Quincy MA$161k79
6Boston MA$157k1,305
7New York NY$147k6,894
8Jersey City NJ$142k73
9Somerville MA$137k173
10Hartford CT$128k50
11Brooklyn NY$126k168
12Philadelphia PA$122k283
13White Plains NY$121k52
14Pittsburgh PA$119k148
15Newark NJ$114k94
16Syracuse NY$110k58
17Buffalo NY$100k86
18Albany NY$95k79
19Rochester NY$92k60

How this ranking works

The score is a city's median posted annual salary (the midpoint of each posted range) divided by its local price level, with the United States at 100.

Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities for the city's metro area, or its state where no metro figure exists. Only cities with at least 50 listings that post a salary are ranked.

A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.

Sample bar: cities with fewer than 100 openings with pay posted are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: posted annual salary ranges; Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities 2024 (metro areas and states). Data as of November 2026.

Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.

Questions

Which city ranks first: best cities for pay after cost of living in the northeast?
Cambridge leads the Northeast for pay after the cost of living: its median posted salary buys what $186k buys at average US prices.
How many cities are ranked?
19 cities have at least 100 openings with pay posted, so the list has 19 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
The score is a city's median posted annual salary (the midpoint of each posted range) divided by its local price level, with the United States at 100. Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities for the city's metro area, or its state where no metro figure exists. Only cities with at least 50 listings that post a salary are ranked. A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
How often is it updated?
Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.

More rankings

Cite this ranking

NextChapter, “Best cities for pay after cost of living in the Northeast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-pay-vs-cost-of-living-in-the-northeast

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-pay-vs-cost-of-living-in-the-northeast">Best cities for pay after cost of living in the Northeast (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

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