New York is 1.5°C (2.7°F) warmer by day, New York has 1.5°C (2.7°F) warmer nights, and both get similar annual rainfall.
Boston is at its warmest in July and coolest in January, while New York peaks in July and bottoms out in January. Month for month, New York is the warmer of the two in 12 of 12 months.
Both collect a similar amount of rain over the year — 1,213 mm (47.8 in) in Boston and 1,214 mm (47.8 in) in New York. The most comfortable time to visit is June, July and August in Boston and June, August and September in New York.
| Boston | Metric | New York |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 57.4°F | 🌡️Average daytime high | 60.1°F |
| 40.1°F | 🌙Average nighttime low | 42.8°F |
| July | 🔥Hottest month | July |
| January | ❄️Coldest month | January |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 47.8 in | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 47.8 in |
| October | ☔Wettest month | July |
| February | 🏜️Driest month | February |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 80% | 💧Average humidity | 80% |
| 0.7 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 1.6 m/s |
Overnight, Boston typically falls to around 4.5°C (40.1°F) while New York settles near 6°C (42.8°F).
Boston is hottest in July and coldest in January, whereas New York peaks in July and is coolest in January.
Boston sees the most rain in October and the least in February; New York is wettest in July and driest in February.
Boston feels the more humid of the two, averaging 80% relative humidity against 80%.
For New York, the pick of the year is June, August and September.
Month by month, here is the coldest night, the average day and the hottest afternoon each city can expect. Switch Compare to read rainfall, humidity, wind or solar instead, and Period to move between the long-term 45-year average and any single year — the shading is a quick warm-to-cool guide.
| Month | Boston | New York | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | 17.8 | 25❄️ | 32.4 | 20.8 | 27.9❄️ | 35.1 |
| February | 19.4 | 27.1 | 34.9 | 22.5 | 30 | 37.8 |
| March | 26.4 | 34.7 | 43 | 29.1 | 37.6 | 46.2 |
| April | 35.8 | 45.1 | 54.5 | 38.5 | 48 | 57.6 |
| May | 46.4 | 55.9 | 65.5 | 49.1 | 58.5 | 68 |
| June | 55.9 | 65.1 | 74.3 | 59 | 68 | 77 |
| July | 62.4 | 71.8🔥 | 81.1 | 65.5 | 74.5🔥 | 83.7 |
| August | 61.3 | 71.1 | 80.8 | 64.2 | 73.4 | 82.8 |
| September | 54.1 | 64 | 73.8 | 57.2 | 66.6 | 76.1 |
| October | 43.7 | 52.5 | 61.5 | 45.9 | 55 | 64.2 |
| November | 33.8 | 41.5 | 49.3 | 35.4 | 43.5 | 51.8 |
| December | 24.8 | 31.5 | 38.1 | 27 | 33.8 | 40.5 |
| Annual Avg | 40.1 | 48.7 | 57.4 | 42.8 | 51.4 | 60.1 |
Min / mean / max temperature (°F). 🔥 marks each city's hottest month, ❄️ its coldest; shading runs cool blue to warm red.
The same figures plotted out, so the shape of a typical year is easier to see than in a grid. Where the two lines run close together Boston and New York feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. Boston New York
See how Boston and New York stack up against other cities. Swipe for more.
Choose which city to keep, then search for any other city in our database — we'll build the comparison for you.
Quick answers to the questions people ask most when comparing Boston and New York — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
New York is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 15.6°C (60.1°F) against 14.1°C (57.4°F) in Boston — roughly 1.5°C (2.7°F) warmer by day. Nights are milder in New York, with average lows of 6°C (42.8°F) versus 4.5°C (40.1°F).
Boston is hottest in July, averaging highs of about 27.3°C (81.1°F), while New York peaks in July at around 28.7°C (83.6°F). That makes New York the hotter of the two at the height of summer.
Boston gets colder. In its coldest month (January) overnight lows average about -7.9°C (17.7°F), compared with -6.2°C (20.8°F) at the low point of the year in New York.
They get a similar amount of rain over a year — about 1,213 mm (47.8 in) in Boston and 1,214 mm (47.8 in) in New York. Boston is wettest in October and driest in February; New York is wettest in July and driest in February.
Humidity is similar in both, averaging around 80% in Boston and 80% in New York across the year.
The most comfortable months in Boston are June, July and August, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
New York is at its most pleasant around June, August and September, based on the mildest average temperatures of the year.
New York is the warmer city in all 12 months of the year. The gap is widest in June, about 1.6°C (2.9°F), and narrowest in November, about 1.1°C (2°F).
Both have a similar seasonal range — around 26°C (46.8°F) between the coldest and hottest months — so neither climate is noticeably more extreme than the other.
On climate alone, New York comes out ahead — it offers warmer days than Boston. Boston is the better fit only if you'd actually prefer cooler weather.
Every figure on this page is calculated from NASA POWER satellite climate data spanning 1981–2025 (45 years). The averages describe the long-term climate of Boston and New York, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
