Suffolk County · Boston-Cambridge-Newton labor area · 672,973 residents
Home project costs in Boston, MA
What a roof, siding, deck, fence, driveway or heat pump costs in Boston after national installed prices are adjusted for local trade wages. 2 of the six have their own page here because the city's fee schedule sets a permit fee for them.
- 1Roof $8,600–$13,200
- 2Siding $6,750–$20,200
Six projects at their reference sizes
| Project | Size, material | Estimate | Permit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roof replacement | 2,000 sq ft, architectural | $8,600–$13,200 | $128.86 |
| Siding replacement | 1,500 sq ft, vinyl | $6,750–$20,200 | $154.51 |
| Deck building | 320 sq ft, pressure-treated | $8,850–$17,700 | no line |
| Fence installation | 150 linear ft, wood | $3,250–$8,300 | no line |
| Driveway paving | 600 sq ft, asphalt | $3,500–$8,200 | no line |
| Heat pump installation | 2,000 sq ft home, ducted air-source | $11,450–$22,850 | no line |
“No line” means the city's schedule, as read on October 21, 2026, sets no fee this site could apply to that work; the building department can say whether a permit is needed.
Labor index by trade
Suffolk County sits in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH. Each project's labor is scaled by the trade that does it:
| Trade | Local median | US median | Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roofers | $31.90 | $26.65 | +19.7% |
| Carpenters | $36.16 | $29.12 | +24.2% |
| Construction laborers | $30.49 | $22.66 | +34.6% |
| Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators | $32.94 | $25.64 | +28.5% |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers | $30.23 | $27.41 | +10.3% |
| HVAC mechanics and installers | $37.75 | $29.33 | +28.7% |
* BLS publishes no estimate for this trade in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton area; Massachusetts statewide median used. Wages: BLS 2025 wage data via O*NET OnLine.
Boston in numbers
The Census Bureau estimates 672,973 people lived in Boston on July 1, 2025, down 0.4% from the 675,647 counted in the 2020 census. On 48.34 square miles of land that is 13,977 people per square mile in 2020, among the densest places on this site (1 of 24); dense Massachusetts city blocks mean small lots, shared walls and street parking that crews price into access and staging.
35.7% of Boston's occupied homes are lived in by their owners, fewer than the 62.5% across Massachusetts, and the median owner-occupied home is valued at $731,700 (Massachusetts: $562,100).
The city's permit schedule
Read from City of Boston Inspectional Services, Building Division Permit Fees (marked Rev. 2021). The lines this site uses:
“Short Form Building (Minor Alteration): $20.00 primary fee plus $10.00 per $1,000.00 of the estimated cost of work”
Nearby towns
Same labor area (Boston-Cambridge-Newton): Derry · Durham · Exeter · Londonderry · Portsmouth · Rochester · Salem · Somersworth.
All towns: town list · State: roof in Massachusetts, siding in Massachusetts, deck in Massachusetts, heat pump in Massachusetts · Guides: permit fees by town, labor costs in New Hampshire
Population: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: population estimates July 1, 2025 (V2025), 2020 census, land area and density; housing: Census QuickFacts, Boston (ACS 2020-2024). Checked October 21, 2026. Estimates are ranges from published averages, not quotes.