City comparison
Barnstable Town, MA is about 60 miles (100 km) from Cambridge, MA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 80 miles, or about 1 h 15 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 Barnstable Town, MA to Cambridge, MA takes about 8 min, covering roughly 60 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.
Cambridge has a population of 117,962, vs 48,922 in Barnstable Town — about 2.4× larger by population. By land area, Barnstable Town covers about 60 sq mi vs 6.4 sq mi for Cambridge.
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 | Barnstable Town | Cambridge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,711/mo | $2,628/mo | 53.6% higher in Cambridge |
| Median home value | $498,700 | $997,600 | 100.0% higher in Cambridge |
| Median household income | $94,387 | $121,539 | 28.8% higher in Cambridge |
| Groceries index | 97.4 | 100.1 | 2.8% higher in Cambridge |
| Utilities index | 153.1 | 147.4 | 3.9% higher in Barnstable Town |
| Transportation index | 100.7 | 102.2 | 1.5% higher in Cambridge |
| Healthcare index | 101.5 | 106.4 | 4.8% higher in Cambridge |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Barnstable Town, you'd need $125,468 in Cambridge to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Barnstable Town, MA is about 20.3% cheaper overall than Cambridge, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 63% higher in Cambridge than in Barnstable Town. If you earn $80,000 in Barnstable Town, you'd need about $100,374 in Cambridge to keep the same standard of living.