Cost Of Living in Athol, MA

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	Athol	Massachusetts	National
Cost of living	108	133	100
Goods & Services	120	122	100
Groceries	102	105	100
Health care	113	113	100
Housing	88	165	100
Transportation	110	118	100
Utilities	131	134	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Athol is 19% lower than the Massachusetts average
The cost of living in Athol is 8% higher than the national average
Athol housing is 12% lower than the national average
Massachusetts general sales tax is 22% higher than the national average
Massachusetts state income tax is 93% 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	$69,352	$5,779	$1,618	$2,081
Renters	$24,429	$2,036	$570	$733

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in Athol, 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 Athol, the median monthly income is $69,352 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $1,618 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $24,429, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $570 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%	9%

Goods & Services

Item	Athol	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$26.58	$24.26	9.6%
Beauty Salon	$67.97	$45.56	49.2%
Toothpaste	$3.73	$3.70	0.8%
Shampoo	$1.25	$1.28	2.1%
Movie	$13.07	$12.13	7.7%
Bowling	$25.44	$18.00	41.4%

Groceries

Item	Athol	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.47	$5.84	6.3%
Fried Chicken	$1.44	$1.57	8.5%
Milk	$4.75	$4.67	1.6%
Potatoes	$5.01	$4.93	1.5%
Pizza	$11.66	$12.09	3.6%
Beer	$9.82	$10.41	5.7%

Health Care

Item	Athol	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$115.00	$125.68	8.5%
Doctor	$164.00	$135.78	20.8%
Dentist	$136.17	$113.29	20.2%
Ibuprofen	$11.01	$10.65	3.4%
Lipitor	$483.35	$468.60	3.1%

Housing

Item	Athol	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$165,100.00	$184,700.00	10.6%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$2,281.44	$2,346.69	2.8%
Apartment Rent	$809.00	$949.00	14.8%

Transportation

Item	Athol	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.33	$3.46	3.9%
Tire Balancing	$86.00	$59.92	43.5%

Utilities

Item	Athol	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$294.40	$193.99	51.8%
Phone	$186.72	$192.25	2.9%

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.
Winchester, NH	1,939	106	5.9%
Hinsdale, NH	1,470	109	8.7%
Orange, MA	3,882	109	8.8%
Millers Falls, MA	1,158	103	3.2%
Winchendon, MA	4,673	111	10.8%
Athol, MA	8,323	108	8.0%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Roxboro, NC	8,323	81	18.8%
Baxter, MN	8,326	106	6.3%
Denison, IA	8,319	86	14.5%
Aylmer, ON	8,327	n/a
Toccoa, GA	8,328	85	14.6%
Athol, MA	8,323	108	8.0%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

Cost of Living in Athol, MA