Is Portland cheaper than Worcester?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Portland and Worcester metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Portland or Worcester?

Worcester has the higher median household income — $96,602 versus $93,062 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 4% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Portland or Worcester?

A paycheck stretches further in Worcester. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $94,225 there versus $91,364 in Portland.

Which has cheaper rent, Portland or Worcester?

Rents are close — $1,590/mo in the Portland metro versus $1,563/mo in Worcester (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Portland vs Worcester

Metro-area medians — Portland-South Portland, ME Metro Area vs Worcester, MA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Portland comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Portland and Worcester cost about the same to live in, but Worcester households earn about 4% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Worcester.

Their widest everyday difference: Portland has the tighter job market — 2.8% unemployment versus 4.5%.

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.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Portland, ME

$57,518

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$56,469

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, Portland leaves you about $322/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

Portland

Worcester

Livability (CityLedger)

76/100

64/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

101.9

102.5

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$91,364

$94,225

Median household income

$93,062

$96,602

Median rent

$1,590/mo

$1,563/mo

Median home value

$474,200

$465,500

Unemployment

2.8%

4.5%

Bachelor's degree or higher

48.1%

40.2%

Average commute

26.7 min

29.8 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

48°F

Choose Portland for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute

Full Portland profile →

Choose Worcester for

+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Worcester profile →

More comparisons

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

Portland vs Trenton→Portland vs New Haven→Portland vs Manchester→Worcester vs Charleston→Worcester vs Allentown→Worcester vs Manchester→

Portland vs Worcester — frequently asked

Is Portland cheaper than Worcester?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Portland and Worcester metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Portland or Worcester?: Worcester has the higher median household income — $96,602 versus $93,062 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 4% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Portland or Worcester?: A paycheck stretches further in Worcester. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $94,225 there versus $91,364 in Portland.
Which has cheaper rent, Portland or Worcester?: Rents are close — $1,590/mo in the Portland metro versus $1,563/mo in Worcester (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).