Cambridge, MA Cost Of Living

Demographics | Crime | Cost Of Living
Updated: 2022-04-07
172
Cambridge's Overall Cost Of Living
1.7x
Higher Than The National Average
102 out of 113
In Massachusetts
6,149 out of 6,412
In America
The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in America. An index above 100 means Cambridge is expensive, while a number below 100 means it's a relatively cheap place to live.

What is the cost of living in Cambridge, MA?

According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Cambridge has an overall cost of living index of 172 which is 1.7x higher than the national index of 100.

Compared to only Massachusetts, Cambridge has a cost of living index that's 1.3x higher than Massachusetts's index of 132.

The standard of living in Cambridge ranks as #6,154 most affordable out of the 6,418 places we measured in Massachusetts. By definition, that implies Cambridge ranks as the #264 most expensive place in the Bay State.

For more reading on life in Cambridge, check out:

Cambridge Cost Of Living Vs. Massachusetts

Living Expense Cambridge Massachusetts National Average
Overall 172 132 100
Services 126 119 100
Groceries 113 112 100
Health 119 123 100
Housing 293 164 100
Transportation 108 109 100
Utilities 122 116 100
For more reading on cost of living around Massachusetts, check out:
Cambridge Cost of Living Vs. MA

Cambridge, MA Housing Cost Breakdown

Housing swings affordability the most between places in Massachusetts, so we broke down the statistics around housing costs into more detail. It's also important to consider median household incomes to make apples-to-apples comparisons across locations.

Home and income come data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2014-2018.

$843,100
Median Home Value
$2,293
Median Rent
$107,490
Median Income
Statistic Cambridge Massachusetts United States
Median Home Value $843,100 $398,800 $229,800
Median Rent $2,293 $1,336 $1,096
Median Income $107,490 $84,385 $64,994
Home Value To Income 7.8x 4.7x 3.5x
Rent To Monthly Income 0.26x 0.19x 0.2x

Detailed Cambridge Services Costs Vs. Massachusetts

Item Cambridge Massachusetts
Shampoo $1.0 $1.06
Movie $14.43 $10.68
Bowling $21.0 $14.67

Detailed Cambridge Groceries Costs Vs. Massachusetts

Item Cambridge Massachusetts
Ground Beef $3.74 $4.22
Fried Chicken $1.64 $1.39
Milk $2.27 $2.05

Detailed Cambridge Health Costs Vs. Massachusetts

Item Cambridge Massachusetts
Haircut $34.97 $18.62
Beauty Salon $64.17 $39.05
Toothpaste $2.3 $2.34

Detailed Cambridge Transportation Costs Vs. Massachusetts

Item Cambridge Massachusetts
Potatoes $4.02 $3.29
Pizza $11.16 $10.62
Beer $9.29 $9.38
Optometrist $102.75 $108.57
Doctor $194.0 $116.17
Dentist $108.27 $99.13

Detailed Cambridge Utilities Costs Vs. Massachusetts

Item Cambridge Massachusetts
Gasoline $2.19 $2.22
Tire Balancing $64.47 $50.07
All Electricity $233.87 $167.67
Phone $181.11 $175.64

Cambridge SnackAbility

9
/10
Overall SnackAbility
Jobs
8.5/10
Housing
10
Affordability
3
Diversity
9.5
Safety
6
Amenities
10
Education
9.5
Commute
6

Cost Of Living In Cities Around Cambridge

City Population Cost Of Living Vs. Cambridge
Newton, MA 88,322 192 1.1x
Somerville, MA 81,175 158 0.9x
Malden, MA 60,710 137 0.8x
Brookline, MA 59,223 191 1.1x
Medford, MA 58,290 147 0.9x
Everett, MA 46,275 137 0.8x
Arlington, MA 45,379 162 0.9x
Chelsea, MA 39,878 127 0.7x
Lexington, MA 33,304 190 1.1x
Needham, MA 31,177 180 1.0x

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