Cost of living in Worcester, MA
The Worcester, MA metro area (881,248 people) ranks #39 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
Hover over or tap a dot to see its value.
See all 149 cities
Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Worcester with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Worcester to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Boston, MA, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in Worcester: $112,800
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $112,800 in Worcester, MA to match $120,000 in Boston, MA ($7,200 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Both are in Massachusetts, so state income tax is the same; neither city levies a resident income tax.
What things cost in Worcester
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Worcester
On a $95,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $70,696 after 2026 federal tax ($12,070), Social Security and Medicare ($7,268) and Massachusetts income tax ($4,530), plus $437 in state payroll programs.
Housing
| Measure | Worcester area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,563/mo |
| Median home value | $465,500 |
| Median property tax | $5,669/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $3,075 |
| Median household income | $96,602 |
Climate and jobs in Worcester
In the Worcester area the average January low is 17°F and the average July high 80°F, and the area has about 3 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 4.6% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $57,830 a year, 13% above the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 17°F |
| July high | 80°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 3 a year |
| Precipitation | 48 in a year |
| Snowfall | 73 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $57,830 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 349,880 | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Worcester Regional Airport station (USW00094746). Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in Worcester
A single retiree spends about $3,521 a month here if they own their home outright, or $4,310 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Worcester
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Worcester area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 93.5 of 100), with expected losses of about $189 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Massachusetts.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Worcester?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $83,300 in Worcester. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $62,520, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $131,804.
Is Worcester expensive?
The Worcester metro area's price level is 102.5 (U.S. = 100), #39 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 113.0, 13% above the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Worcester?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Worcester had a net loss of about 263 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Worcester?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Worcester area (Worcester Regional Airport weather station), the average January low is 17°F and the average July high 80°F. The area has about 3 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 48 inches of precipitation a year and about 73 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Worcester?
The Worcester metro area's unemployment rate averaged 4.6% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $57,830 a year in May 2025, 13% above the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Worcester?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 93.5). The highest relative risks are ice storm, strong wind, hurricane.
Compare Worcester with other cities
Moving from Worcester to…
Moving to Worcester from…
Cities with similar prices
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Moving from Massachusetts