City comparison
Brockton, MA is about 20 miles (30 km) from Cambridge, MA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 30 miles, or about 26 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 Brockton, MA to Cambridge, MA takes about 3 min, covering roughly 20 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 104,713 in Brockton — about 1.1× larger by population. By land area, Brockton covers about 21 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 | Brockton | Cambridge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,446/mo | $2,628/mo | 81.7% higher in Cambridge |
| Median home value | $364,700 | $997,600 | 173.5% higher in Cambridge |
| Median household income | $74,016 | $121,539 | 64.2% higher in Cambridge |
| Groceries index | 99.8 | 100.1 | ≈ equal (Cambridge slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 144.3 | 147.4 | 2.1% higher in Cambridge |
| Transportation index | 102.9 | 102.2 | 0.7% higher in Brockton |
| Healthcare index | 103.7 | 106.4 | 2.6% 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 Brockton, you'd need $103,230 in Cambridge to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Brockton, MA is about 3.1% cheaper overall than Cambridge, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 6% higher in Cambridge than in Brockton. If you earn $80,000 in Brockton, you'd need about $82,584 in Cambridge to keep the same standard of living.