Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge, MA and Boston, MA 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Boston, MA is 9.5% higher than in Cambridge, MA (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Boston, MA is 10.9% higher than in Cambridge, MA
Rent Prices in Boston, MA are 12.8% higher than in Cambridge, MA
Restaurant Prices in Boston, MA are 21.0% higher than in Cambridge, MA
Groceries Prices in Boston, MA are 4.0% higher than in Cambridge, MA
Local Purchasing Power in Boston, MA is 12.3% lower than in Cambridge, MA
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Cambridge, MA Edit Boston, MA Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 17.00 $ 25.00 $      +47.1 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 100.00 $ 127.50 $      +27.5 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 12.00 $ 11.25 $      -6.2 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 8.00 $ 8.00 $      0.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 8.00 $ 9.00 $      +12.5 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.50 $ 5.57 $      +1.2 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 3.01 $ 3.01 $      0.0 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.39 $ 2.39 $      0.0 %
Markets
Cambridge, MA Edit Boston, MA Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.22 $ 4.87 $      +15.4 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.63 $ 3.78 $      +4.2 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.94 $ 2.94 $      0.0 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.73 $ 4.73 $      0.0 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 6.87 $ 7.66 $      +11.4 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 6.17 $ 6.17 $      0.0 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 9.33 $ 9.33 $      0.0 %
Apples (1 lb) 3.09 $ 2.63 $      -14.7 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.86 $ 0.97 $      +12.5 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.90 $ 2.90 $      0.0 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.90 $ 3.52 $      +21.2 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.48 $ 2.07 $      +39.5 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.62 $ 1.69 $      +4.8 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.42 $ 2.80 $      +15.8 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.56 $ 2.56 $      0.0 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $ 16.50 $      +10.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.73 $ 2.89 $      +67.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 5.58 $ 5.58 $      0.0 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 13.66 $ 13.66 $      0.0 %
Transportation
Cambridge, MA Edit Boston, MA Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.45 $ 2.40 $      -2.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 90.00 $ 90.00 $      0.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 2.60 $ 2.60 $      0.0 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.80 $ 2.80 $      0.0 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 28.00 $ 28.00 $      0.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3.33 $ 3.46 $      +3.8 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 29,523.69 $ 30,000.00 $      +1.6 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 25,293.30 $ 25,110.27 $      -0.7 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Cambridge, MA Edit Boston, MA Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 158.55 $ 194.41 $      +22.6 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 52.75 $ 57.82 $      +9.6 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 56.25 $ 78.14 $      +38.9 %
Sports And Leisure
Cambridge, MA Edit Boston, MA Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 100.00 $ 80.68 $      -19.3 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 30.00 $ 31.00 $      +3.3 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 15.50 $ 15.50 $      0.0 %
Childcare
Cambridge, MA Edit Boston, MA Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 2,793.33 $ 2,793.33 $      0.0 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 27,500.00 $ 27,500.00 $      0.0 %
Clothing And Shoes
Cambridge, MA Edit Boston, MA Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 66.67 $ 66.67 $      0.0 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 44.58 $ 44.58 $      0.0 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 101.67 $ 102.48 $      +0.8 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 146.67 $ 148.08 $      +1.0 %
Rent Per Month
Cambridge, MA Edit Boston, MA Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,837.50 $ 3,415.82 $      +20.4 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 2,866.67 $ 2,587.27 $      -9.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 5,100.00 $ 6,158.48 $      +20.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 3,525.00 $ 3,995.38 $      +13.3 %
Buy Apartment Price
Cambridge, MA Edit Boston, MA Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 458.97 $ 851.73 $      +85.6 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 458.97 $ 566.44 $      +23.4 %
Salaries And Financing
Cambridge, MA Edit Boston, MA Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 6,107.20 $ 5,939.64 $      -2.7 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.43 6.43      0.0 %
Last update: 15 May 202515 June 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:15153