Looking for the national College Cost? College Cost Calculator Calculator.
College Cost Calculator for Worcester, MA
Local data pre-filled
Planning for college from Worcester, MA? In-state tuition at Massachusetts public universities, combined with the local cost of living (index: 116), determines your true 4-year cost. Estimate tuition, room & board, and see how 529 plans or financial aid could help.
✓ Calculator below is pre-filled with Worcester local data
Data as of · Sources: Zillow, Census ACS, Tax Foundation, Freddie Mac
Massachusetts Financial Snapshot (2026) — College Cost Calculator
Median income and COL frame affordability for the college cost calculator in Massachusetts.
How the College Cost Calculator Math Works Under Massachusetts Law
The College Cost Calculator runs a well-known formula (principal × rate, discounted cash flow, amortization, or equivalent) client-side and layers on Massachusetts's tax and cost-of-living inputs. State-specific numbers — brackets, exemptions, and averages — come from public federal / state datasets cited in the sources section.
Local context: Worcester, MA
Housing economics in Worcester, MA. The median home value runs 32.1% above the U.S. baseline for Worcester, MA is $472,895 per Zillow's home-value index. Median rent runs $2,140 a month per Zillow ZORI, a premium over the national $1,850 baseline. Effective property tax sits at 1.06% of assessed value, meaningfully higher than the 0.99% national average tracked by the Tax Foundation.
Income and tax climate. Massachusetts's top marginal state income tax bracket lands at 5.00% — compared to the volume-weighted national average around 4-5%. BEA's Regional Price Parity scores Worcester, MA at 116.0 (national = 100), meaning a dollar in Worcester, MA buys 86¢ of national purchasing power.
Local context as of 2026-04-19.
Worcester versus the U.S. baseline
| Metric | Worcester, MA | U.S. baseline | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value[zillow] | $472,895 | $358,000 | 32.1% |
| Median monthly rent[zillow] | $2,140 | $1,850 | 15.7% |
| Property tax (effective)[tax-foundation] | 1.06% | 0.99% | 7.1% |
| State top marginal income tax[tax-foundation] | 5.00% | ~4.08% (volume-weighted) | 0.9 pp |
| State cost-of-living index[bea-rpp] | 116.0 | 100.0 | 16.0 pts |
How to use the College Cost Calculator
Walk through using the College Cost Calculator with Worcester, MA-specific defaults pre-loaded from primary sources.
- Enter your Worcester numbersFill in the college cost inputs. Defaults reflect Worcester, MA 2026: median home $472,895, median rent $2,140/mo, 1.06% effective property tax.
- Apply the local 2026 inputsThe median home value in Worcester is $472,895 (Zillow ZHVI), with median monthly rent running $2,140/mo.
- Compare against Worcester contextMonthly PITI on the $472,895 median home in Worcester is ~$3,058/mo — vs a $2,140/mo median rent.
How Massachusetts Compares to Neighboring States
| State | Median home | Top inc tax | Prop tax rate | RPP (US=100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts (this page) | $620,000 | 9.00% | 1.14% | 107.7 |
| Connecticut | $395,000 | 6.99% | 1.96% | 104.2 |
| compare to New Hampshire | $475,000 | None | 1.93% | 105.4 |
| compare to New York | $470,000 | 10.90% | 1.72% | 107.8 |
| compare to Rhode Island | $440,000 | 5.99% | 1.53% | 102.1 |
Sources: Zillow ZHVI[1], state Departments of Revenue / Tax Foundation[2], Tax Foundation property taxes[3], BEA Regional Price Parities[4].
What Changes Your Result in Massachusetts
- Massachusetts cost-of-living drag:Line-item costs in Massachusetts deviate from the US mean by whatever the BEA all-items RPP deviates from 100. Weight your budget toward the state average rather than the national average.
How Worcester Compares to the National Average
Understanding how Worcester stacks up helps you calibrate your financial planning.
| Metric | Worcester, MA | US Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $472,895 | $420,800 | +12.4% |
| Median Monthly Rent | $2,140 | $1,713 | +24.9% |
| Median Household Income | $93,561 | $74,580 | +25.5% |
| Property Tax Rate | 1.06% | 1.10% | -3.6% |
| Cost of Living Index | 116 | 100 | +16.0% |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, BLS, Zillow, NAR (2024–2025). Green = favorable for residents; red = less favorable.
Worcester Financial Snapshot
- Population (Metro)
- 1,000,000
- Unemployment
- 3.6%
- Avg Commute
- 27 min
- Median Age
- 37
- Price-to-Rent Ratio
- 18.4x
- Annual Property Tax
- $5,013
More Financial Calculators for Worcester, MA
College Cost Calculator in Other Massachusetts Cities
Frequently Asked Questions — Worcester
- Can median-income households afford the median home in Worcester?
- With a ~$3,058 monthly PITI and $93,561 median income, housing would consume ~39.2% of gross annual income. Qualifying under the 28% DTI rule requires ~$131,057 in annual income. Educational reference only.
- Is it better to rent or buy in Worcester?
- Worcester's price-to-rent ratio (18.4x) is roughly neutral — in the 15-20x range the decision depends on time horizon and wealth goals.
- What is the annual property tax bill on the median home in Worcester?
- Approximately $5,013/yr at the 1.06% effective rate on the $472,895 median home. The national average effective rate is 1.07%.
- What share of median income goes to rent in Worcester?
- The $2,140/mo median rent represents 27.4% of the $93,561 median household income. The recommended housing cost threshold is 30%; Worcester falls within that guideline. Educational reference only.
- How much does commuting cost in Worcester?
- Average commute time in Worcester is 27 minutes per ACS. Estimated annual commute cost runs about $4,703. Educational reference only.
- How does the cost of living in Worcester compare to the national average?
- Worcester's BEA RPP index is 116, 16% above the national baseline of 100. For a household earning the national median income of $77,540, this translates to ~$12,406/yr in purchasing power difference. Educational reference only.
- What is the median home price in Worcester, MA?
- The median home price in Worcester is $472,895 as of 2025–2026.
- What is the average rent in Worcester?
- The median monthly rent in Worcester, MA is $2,140.
- Does the college cost replace professional advice?
- No. This calculator gives educational estimates using public Worcester data and standard formulas. It is not personalized tax, legal, or investment advice. Consult a licensed professional for decisions with material consequences.
How we compute this — methodology
The Worcester page uses local median home price ($472,895), median rent ($2,140/mo), and property tax rate (1.06%) alongside the calculator's client-side formula. Calculations run in your browser — no inputs are sent to a server.
Known limits: ZIP-level variance within Worcester can be substantial — the figures shown are city-wide medians. For a precise property tax quote, consult your county assessor.
Sources
- Zillow Research — ZHVI (Zillow Home Value Index) + ZORI (Zillow Observed Rent Index), city-level. zillow.com/research/data. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates for median household income and population. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs.
- CalcFi state financial context — tips + first-time homebuyer programs compiled from each state's Housing Finance Authority (HFA) public pages. See
src/data/state-financial-context.ts. - Tax Foundation — state property tax effective rates and state/local sales tax rates. taxfoundation.org.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) — weekly national mortgage rate averages used by mortgage-related calculators. freddiemac.com/pmms.
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — state-level occupational wages — www.bls.gov/oes. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Internal Revenue Service — federal individual income tax brackets and standard deductions — www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-17. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) — weekly national mortgage rates — www.freddiemac.com/pmms. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- NAIC Dwelling Fire, Homeowners Owners, and Homeowners Tenants Insurance Report — content.naic.org/article/homeowners-insurance-report. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- State Departments of Revenue — official bracket + deduction publications (one primary URL per state; linked in the brackets table below) — taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities by State — www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- U.S. Department of Labor — State Minimum Wage Laws — www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) — real median household income, unemployment, HPI, LFPR per state — fred.stlouisfed.org. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
Spot an error? Email [email protected] with the URL and the correct figure.
Related Calculators & Locations
Same Calculator, Other States
Related Calculators for Worcester
National reference: College Cost Calculator Calculator