Boston / Cambridge per diem ratesMassachusetts · FY 2027
Boston / Cambridge has the sixth highest full-year average lodging cap of the 295 areas GSA lists above the standard rate, between Jackson / Pinedale (WY) and Santa Monica (CA). Boston / Cambridge’s October and September peak of $365 a night is the ninth highest monthly cap in the continental U.S., between Telluride (CO) and New York City (NY). Meals and incidentals are paid at the top tier, which 33 areas share.
Boston / Cambridge among the 295
Boston / Cambridge’s full-year average lodging cap, $285 a night, ranks second of the 13 Massachusetts areas, between Martha’s Vineyard ($291) and Nantucket ($277). Massachusetts, area by area.
| Months | Cap | Nights |
|---|---|---|
| October | $365 | 31 |
| November to February | $213 | 120 |
| March to August | $305 | 184 |
| September | $365 | 30 |
Four days in October
Monday, October 5, 2026, to Thursday: up to $1,417, three nights at the October cap plus $322 M&IE. Starting November 2 instead, in a low month, the same trip comes to $961.
Weighted by days, the cap sits 152% above the standard rate over the year.
Boston / Cambridge since FY 2021
Since FY 2021 Boston / Cambridge’s full-year average has grown 13.3%; ranked by that growth, Boston / Cambridge sits between New Orleans (LA) and Bolingbrook / Romeoville / Lemont (IL). Against FY 2026, Boston / Cambridge’s full-year average rose 4%, between Greensboro (NC) and Barstow / Ontario / Victorville (CA) among year-on-year changes. In FY 2021 Boston / Cambridge ranked fourth of 293 by full-year average, between Vail (CO) and Santa Monica (CA). Along the way: flat in FY 2023, up 3% in FY 2024, up 5.7% in FY 2025.