BASIC STATS
Land area
Boston: 48.28 square miles
New York: 302.64 square miles
Population
Boston: 625,087
New York: 8,244,910
People per square mile
Boston: 12,947
New York: 27,243
Gross domestic product in 2010
Boston: $296 billion
New York: $1.18 trillion
Sources: US Census Bureau, McKinsey Global Institute
QUALITY OF LIFE
Mean Annual Household Income
Boston: $91,755
New York: $89,966
Median Home value
Boston: $395,200
New York: $513,900
Monthly Rent
Boston: $1,670
New York: $3,500
Mean Commute
Boston: 28 minutes
New York: 40 minutes
Average monthly spending on gas and car
Boston: $277
New York: $232
Beauty Salon Visit
Advertisement
Boston: $43
New York: $62.20
Movie Ticket
Boston: $11.10
New York: $13.25
Hamburger
Boston: $4.47
New York: $3.39
Pizza
Boston: $8.99
New York: $10.99
Sources: US Census Bureau, Bankrate.com cost of living calculator, Wired.com
SPORTS
Championships across the major professional leagues
Boston: 34
New York: 56
Championships since 2000
Boston: 7
New York: 4
Rank on 2011 “Best Sports Cities” List
Boston: 2
New York: 5
Sources: US News & World Report, Sporting News
BRAINPOWER
Percentage of population, 25 or older, with at least a bachelor’s
Boston: 43
New York: 35.9
Number of patents issued per 100,000 people
Boston: 95.1
New York: 30.3
Nobel Prize winners
Massachusetts: 62
New York State: 51
Rank on intelligence metric in a 2011 “America’s Favorite Cities” survey
Boston: 3
New York: 17
Sources: Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Nobelprize.org, Travel & Leisure