?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Dedham, MA vs Needham, MA

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Dedham needs about $89,500 in Needham to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Needham, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $80,500 in Dedham.

A few differences

Dedham vs Needham · facet by facet
FacetDedham, MANeedham, MA
Median home price$661,800$1,188,500
2-bedroom rent$2,577/mo$2,480/mo
Property tax rate1.14%1.14%
State & local income tax5%5%
Sales tax6.25%6.25%
Cost of living index140167
Groceries index108108
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$128,955$214,308
Unemployment rate3.6%3.6%
Crime index30/10030/100
School rating8.5/108.5/10
Sunny days / year200 days200 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Dedham, MA · Needham, MA
Questions & answers
Is Dedham cheaper than Needham?
Dedham has the lower day-to-day cost index (140 vs 167 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Needham equals $85,000 in Dedham?
A household earning $85,000 in Dedham needs about $89,500 in Needham to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Needham lifestyle costs about $80,500 in Dedham.