Does Boston add its own sales tax?

No. Massachusetts uses a single statewide sales tax of 6.25% with no separate city or county add-on. The rate in Boston is identical to the rate anywhere else in Massachusetts, unlike many US cities.

Is clothing taxed in Massachusetts?

Clothing is exempt up to $175 per item. Only the amount above $175 on a single garment is taxed. So a $200 coat is taxed on $25, not the full price. This tool applies that per-item threshold.

Most grocery food is exempt in Massachusetts. Prepared meals and restaurant food are taxed, often with an additional local meals tax. This tool treats grocery food as exempt and general goods as fully taxable.

What about prescription drugs?

Prescription medications are exempt from Massachusetts sales tax, as are most medical devices. Over-the-counter products are generally taxable as general goods unless specifically exempted.

Is there a meals tax I should know about?

Yes. Restaurant meals carry the 6.25% state tax plus an optional local meals tax of up to 0.75%, so Boston meals can total 7%. This calculator covers general retail sales tax, not the meals surcharge.

Boston Combined Sales Tax Calculator

This calculator applies Massachusetts’ flat statewide sales tax to a Boston purchase. Unlike most US cities, Boston has no separate municipal or county rate, so the math is a single 6.25% applied to the taxable portion of your purchase.

How it works

clothing taxable = max(price − 175, 0)   per item over the threshold
groceries        = exempt (taxable = 0)
prescriptions    = exempt (taxable = 0)
general goods    = full price taxable
tax              = taxable × 0.0625
total            = price + tax

The only complexity is the clothing exemption: the first $175 of each garment is tax-free, and only the excess is taxed. Groceries and prescriptions are fully exempt, while general retail goods are taxed on the whole amount.

Example and tips

A $1,000 laptop in Boston is taxed in full: 6.25% adds $62.50 for a $1,062.50 total. A single $200 coat is taxed only on the $25 above the $175 clothing threshold, adding just $1.56. Note that the clothing threshold is per item, so splitting a purchase across several garments under $175 each can be fully exempt. For restaurant meals, expect up to 7% rather than 6.25% because of the optional local meals tax.