SalaryCompareTool

Worcester, MA vs Tampa, FL

Moving from Worcester to Tampa? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($482,611 → $360,738 median home) and taxes.

Worcester vs Tampa at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Worcester, MA Tampa, FL Cost-of-living index Worcester, MA — Cost-of-living index: 103 103 Tampa, FL — Cost-of-living index: 102 102 Median home price Worcester, MA — Median home price: $483k $483k Tampa, FL — Median home price: $361k $361k Price per sqft Worcester, MA — Price per sqft: $284 $284 Tampa, FL — Price per sqft: $195 $195 Median rent Worcester, MA — Median rent: $2,182 $2,182 Tampa, FL — Median rent: $2,018 $2,018 Combined sales tax Worcester, MA — Combined sales tax: 6.3% 6.3% Tampa, FL — Combined sales tax: 7.0% 7.0% Property tax rate Worcester, MA — Property tax rate: 1.39% 1.39% Tampa, FL — Property tax rate: 0.80% 0.80% Violent crime /100k Worcester, MA — Violent crime /100k: 330 330 Tampa, FL — Violent crime /100k: 380 380 Electricity ¢/kWh Worcester, MA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 29.4 29.4 Tampa, FL — Electricity ¢/kWh: 15.4 15.4 Avg commute (min) Worcester, MA — Avg commute (min): 29 29 Tampa, FL — Avg commute (min): 28 28 Avg summer high °F Worcester, MA — Avg summer high °F: 82° 82° Tampa, FL — Avg summer high °F: 91° 91° Avg winter low °F Worcester, MA — Avg winter low °F: 22° 22° Tampa, FL — Avg winter low °F: 52° 52°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Worcester, MA, you'd need about $99,506 in Tampa, FL (−$494).

Livability — Worcester, MA: 56 · Tampa, FL: 65 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,761 sqft in Worcester vs 2,564 sqft in Tampa ($284 vs $195 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryWorcester, MATampa, FLDifference
Housing $26,184 $24,216 −$1,968
Groceries $4,938 $4,949 +$11
Transportation $3,210 $4,800 +$1,590
Utilities $3,180 $1,656 −$1,524
Insurance $1,800 $4,200 +$2,400
Taxes $16,011 $4,642 −$11,368
Total $55,322 $44,463 −$10,860

Side by side

MetricWorcester, MATampa, FL
Cost-of-living index103.0102.5
Unemployment rate5.78%4.92%
Population growth (5-yr)4.3%7.3%
Air quality (median AQI)3751
Big Mac price (est.)$5.86$5.83
Median home price$482,611$360,738
Home price ÷ income5.6×5.4×
1-yr home appreciation1.8%-3.4%
Price per square foot$284$195
Median rent$2,182$2,018
Total tax burden (% income)11.5%9.1%
Combined sales tax6.25%7.02%
Capital gains tax9.00%None
Property tax rate1.39%0.80%
Healthcare (annual)$8,200$7,500
Childcare (annual, infant)$21,000$10,000
Vehicle property tax2.25%None
Avg commute (min)2928
Home insurance / yr$1,800$4,200
Auto insurance / yr$1,500$2,900
Flood insurance / yr$800$1,400
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh29.415.4
Gas $/gal3.303.35
Violent crime /100k330380
Avg summer high °F8291
Avg winter low °F2252
Permit difficulty (1–5)43
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