City comparison
Somerville, 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 Somerville, 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 80,464 in Somerville — about 2.5× larger by population. By land area, Worcester covers about 37 sq mi vs 4.1 sq mi for Somerville.
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 | Somerville | Worcester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,357/mo | $1,312/mo | 79.6% higher in Somerville |
| Median home value | $860,500 | $305,600 | 181.6% higher in Somerville |
| Median household income | $120,778 | $63,011 | 91.7% higher in Somerville |
| Groceries index | 99.8 | 97.4 | 2.5% higher in Somerville |
| Utilities index | 144.3 | 150.2 | 4.1% higher in Worcester |
| Transportation index | 102.9 | 100.7 | 2.2% higher in Somerville |
| Healthcare index | 103.7 | 101.5 | 2.2% higher in Somerville |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Somerville, you'd need $86,324 in Worcester to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Worcester, MA is about 13.7% cheaper overall than Somerville, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 35% higher in Somerville than in Worcester. If you earn $80,000 in Somerville, you'd need about $69,059 in Worcester to keep the same standard of living.