Can a Social Worker afford to live in Boston?

Comfortable24% of take-home left to save — solid margin to save and invest.
Median salary (gross)
Social Worker · Boston
$84,261
Income tax (~26% effective)
United States
– $22,106
Take-home pay
$5,180/mo
$62,155
Living costs (1 person)
$3,920/mo · derived
– $47,040
Savings potential
$1,260/mo · 24% of take-home
$15,115

Single professional, after-tax. Salary − tax − living costs = what you could save each year.

Full salary breakdown →Is this a good salary in Boston? →Compare Boston with another city →

How we calculated this

• Salary: BLS OES median for Social Worker, adjusted for Boston.

• Tax: United States single-filer effective rate (~26%). Official calculator.

• Living costs: derived from cost-of-living index for a single professional.

Planning estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026. Your situation will differ.