Cities near Boston, MA
Quick answer
The nearest major metro to Boston is Providence, RI, 41 miles southwest — roughly 1 hr 24 min by road. Its combined sales tax rate is 7% against 6.25% in Boston.
Distance to nearby metros
Great-circle distance from the Boston centroid (42.358, -71.068).
| Metro | Straight line | Est. drive | Direction | Combined rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence, RI | 40.8 mi | 1 hr 24 min | southwest | 7% |
| Manchester, NH | 48.3 mi | 1 hr 39 min | northwest | 0% |
| Hartford, CT | 92.5 mi | 1 hr 47 min | southwest | 6.35% |
| Portland, ME | 98.9 mi | 1 hr 55 min | northeast | 5.5% |
| Bridgeport, CT | 137.5 mi | 2 hr 40 min | southwest | 6.35% |
| Burlington, VT | 182.3 mi | 3 hr 32 min | northwest | 7% |
| New York City, NY | 187.8 mi | 3 hr 38 min | southwest | 8.875% |
| Jersey City, NJ | 190.9 mi | 3 hr 42 min | southwest | 6.625% |
| Newark, NJ | 196.0 mi | 3 hr 48 min | southwest | 6.625% |
Source: Place centroids: USGS/Census public-domain coordinates · rates as published for 2026
How these distances are calculated
Straight-line figures are great-circle distances between incorporated-place centroids using the haversine formula on a 3,958.76-mile mean-radius sphere — exact to within a few metres for this purpose. Drive time is an estimate: road distance is modelled at 1.2× the straight line (the standard North American circuity factor) at 62 mph for trips over 60 miles and 35 mph below that. It is not a routed itinerary and ignores traffic, terrain and tolls.