Boston, MA vs Chapel Hill, NC

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Boston

66.2

#1568 nationally

Chapel Hill

68.6

#1303 nationally

Boston leads in walk score (83 vs 34). Chapel Hill leads in average commute (19.6 min vs 30.2 min). Chapel Hill leads in cost of living index (133 vs 155).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Boston, MA	Chapel Hill, NC
WhereAtHome Score	66.2 (#1568)	68.6 (#1303)
Population	684,379	62,043
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$787,763	$636,021
Median Household Income	$81,744	$85,940
Average Commute	30.2 min	19.6 min
Walk Score	83	34
Crime Level	Moderate	4.7
School Rating	7.2	N/A
Cost of Living Index	155	133
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+52.5	D+51.1