City comparison
Malden, MA is about 40 miles (60 km) from Worcester, MA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 50 miles, or about 50 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 Malden, MA to Worcester, MA takes about 5 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 65,463 in Malden — about 3.1× larger by population. By land area, Worcester covers about 37 sq mi vs 5 sq mi for Malden.
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 | Malden | Worcester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,962/mo | $1,312/mo | 49.5% higher in Malden |
| Median home value | $570,600 | $305,600 | 86.7% higher in Malden |
| Median household income | $90,295 | $63,011 | 43.3% higher in Malden |
| Groceries index | 99.8 | 97.4 | 2.5% higher in Malden |
| Utilities index | 144.3 | 150.2 | 4.1% higher in Worcester |
| Transportation index | 102.9 | 100.7 | 2.2% higher in Malden |
| Healthcare index | 103.7 | 101.5 | 2.2% higher in Malden |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Malden, you'd need $87,134 in Worcester to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Worcester, MA is about 12.9% cheaper overall than Malden, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 33% higher in Malden than in Worcester. If you earn $80,000 in Malden, you'd need about $69,707 in Worcester to keep the same standard of living.