Living in Chelsea, MA
Suburb in Massachusetts
Chelsea is a suburb in Massachusetts, home to about 39,000 people, with 3.4 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, you can walk or take transit almost everywhere. Life moves at a very fast pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Chelsea a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Strong healthcare: 13 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Easy flying: BOS is 2 mi away
- Mild summers: highs around 80°F
- Lots of culture: museums, zoos and attractions nearby
👎 Cons
- Cloudier than most places
- Pricey housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $605k, and rent is $3,530 a month
- Higher taxes: about $3,502 state income tax per resident, 0.62% property tax
- Weaker public schools: test results below the US average
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Chelsea ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Chelsea: common questions
What is the cost of living in Chelsea?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $605k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $3,530 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 108, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Chelsea?
Massachusetts collects about $3,502 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.62% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Chelsea safe?
Violent crime is well above the national rate (1.8× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Chelsea?
Public schools in Chelsea test below the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 14 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Chelsea?
Chelsea has cold winters: winter days average around 39°F and summer days around 80°F, with roughly 49″ of snow a year.
Does Chelsea get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding: 11 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.24 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Chelsea?
The nearest major airport is BOS, about 2 mi away.
How Chelsea scores
Each bar compares Chelsea with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Chelsea
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Massachusetts.
Is Chelsea right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.