City comparison
Arlington, MA is about 30 miles (60 km) from Worcester, MA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 40 miles, or about 43 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Arlington, MA to Worcester, MA takes about 4 min, covering roughly 30 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Worcester has a population of 204,191, vs 45,906 in Arlington — about 4.4× larger by population. By land area, Worcester covers about 37 sq mi vs 5.1 sq mi for Arlington.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Arlington | Worcester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,902/mo | $1,312/mo | 45.0% higher in Arlington |
| Median home value | $839,200 | $305,600 | 174.6% higher in Arlington |
| Median household income | $136,312 | $63,011 | 116.3% higher in Arlington |
| Groceries index | 99.8 | 97.4 | 2.5% higher in Arlington |
| Utilities index | 144.3 | 150.2 | 4.1% higher in Worcester |
| Transportation index | 102.9 | 100.7 | 2.2% higher in Arlington |
| Healthcare index | 103.7 | 101.5 | 2.2% higher in Arlington |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Arlington, you'd need $87,259 in Worcester to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Worcester, MA is about 12.7% cheaper overall than Arlington, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 32% higher in Arlington than in Worcester. If you earn $80,000 in Arlington, you'd need about $69,807 in Worcester to keep the same standard of living.