Should I Move To
Roughly 117,962 people live in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Living here costs expensive relative to the rest of the country, 28% above the national average. Median rent runs about $2,628/mo; the typical household pulls in $121,539. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 67/100 — a B-, putting it at #38 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Cambridge sits at 128 — expensive when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($2,628/mo against $121,539 median household income), housing eats roughly 26% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $997,600.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is four-season: roughly 80°F in summer, 26°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 44 inches. A walker's paradise by US standards. Many people here genuinely skip car ownership. On safety, this is a middle-of-the-pack city — neither standout nor concerning. AQI runs about 34 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Cambridge is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 58/100 — a C. Its standout dimension is education (99/100); the soft spot is affordability (9/100).
For retirees, Cambridge is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 55/100 — a C. Its standout dimension is education (99/100); the soft spot is affordability (9/100).
For remote workers, Cambridge isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 50/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is education (99/100); the soft spot is affordability (9/100).
For young professionals, Cambridge is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 68/100 — a B-. Its standout dimension is education (99/100); the soft spot is affordability (9/100).
Our overall score for Cambridge is 67/100 — a B-, sitting at #38 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Cambridge sits at 128 — expensive, 28% above the national average. Median renter pays around $2,628 a month.
Cambridge runs four-season on the weather. Summer's near 80°F, winter's near 26°F; 44 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 97/100. A walker's paradise by US standards. Many people here genuinely skip car ownership.
Roughly 117,962 people live here, with 80% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 31.
Drop Cambridge into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Cambridge with other Massachusetts cities scored on UrbRank.
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