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CityLedger

Jacksonville vs Worcester

Metro-area medians — Jacksonville, FL Metro Area vs Worcester, MA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Worcester comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Jacksonville is about 3% cheaper to live in, while Worcester households earn about 18% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Worcester.

Their widest everyday difference: Worcester has cleaner air on a typical day — a median AQI of 37 versus 51.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Jacksonville, FL
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
$61,632
real value after local prices
Worcester, MA
$57,564
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$56,147
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Jacksonville leaves you about $5,485/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Jacksonville
Worcester
Livability (CityLedger)
53/100
64/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
99.5
102.5
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$82,479
$94,225
Median household income
$82,053
$96,602
Median rent
$1,625/mo
$1,563/mo
Median home value
$375,200
$465,500
Unemployment
4.6%
4.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
38.3%
40.2%
Average commute
27.4 min
29.8 min
Air quality (median AQI)
51
37
Avg temperature
71°F
48°F

Choose Jacksonville for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Median home value
  • + Average commute
Full Jacksonville profile →

Choose Worcester for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Median rent
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Worcester profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Jacksonville and Worcester on cost, income, size, and education.

Jacksonville vs Virginia Beach→Jacksonville vs Richmond→Jacksonville vs Providence→Worcester vs Charleston→Worcester vs Allentown→Worcester vs Manchester→

Jacksonville vs Worcester — frequently asked

Is Jacksonville cheaper than Worcester?
Jacksonville is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 3% below Worcester's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Jacksonville or Worcester?
Worcester has the higher median household income — $96,602 versus $82,053 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 18% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Jacksonville or Worcester?
A paycheck stretches further in Worcester. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $94,225 there versus $82,479 in Jacksonville.
Which has cheaper rent, Jacksonville or Worcester?
Worcester has cheaper rent — a median of $1,563/mo versus $1,625/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).