City comparison
Cambridge, MA is about 40 miles (60 km) from Worcester, MA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 40 miles, or about 45 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 Cambridge, MA to Worcester, MA takes about 4 min, covering roughly 40 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 117,962 in Cambridge — about 1.7× larger by population. By land area, Worcester covers about 37 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 | Cambridge | Worcester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,628/mo | $1,312/mo | 100.3% higher in Cambridge |
| Median home value | $997,600 | $305,600 | 226.4% higher in Cambridge |
| Median household income | $121,539 | $63,011 | 92.9% higher in Cambridge |
| Groceries index | 100.1 | 97.4 | 2.8% higher in Cambridge |
| Utilities index | 147.4 | 150.2 | 1.9% higher in Worcester |
| Transportation index | 102.2 | 100.7 | 1.5% higher in Cambridge |
| Healthcare index | 106.4 | 101.5 | 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 Cambridge, you'd need $85,461 in Worcester to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Worcester, MA is about 14.5% cheaper overall than Cambridge, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 37% higher in Cambridge than in Worcester. If you earn $80,000 in Cambridge, you'd need about $68,369 in Worcester to keep the same standard of living.