City comparison
Medford, MA is about 40 miles (60 km) from Worcester, MA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 50 miles, or about 46 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 Medford, 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 61,748 in Medford — about 3.3× larger by population. By land area, Worcester covers about 37 sq mi vs 8.1 sq mi for Medford.
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 | Medford | Worcester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,305/mo | $1,312/mo | 75.7% higher in Medford |
| Median home value | $669,600 | $305,600 | 119.1% higher in Medford |
| Median household income | $114,863 | $63,011 | 82.3% higher in Medford |
| Groceries index | 99.8 | 97.4 | 2.5% higher in Medford |
| Utilities index | 144.3 | 150.2 | 4.1% higher in Worcester |
| Transportation index | 102.9 | 100.7 | 2.2% higher in Medford |
| Healthcare index | 103.7 | 101.5 | 2.2% higher in Medford |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Medford, you'd need $86,426 in Worcester to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Worcester, MA is about 13.6% cheaper overall than Medford, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 35% higher in Medford than in Worcester. If you earn $80,000 in Medford, you'd need about $69,141 in Worcester to keep the same standard of living.