Compare / Riverside to Worcester
Riverside, CA vs Worcester, MA
Simple answer
You'd likely save $60 a month in Worcester.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is Census rent. Census median gross rent differs by $443, with Riverside higher.
California taxes wages at rates up to 13.30%. Massachusetts taxes wages at rates up to 9.00%. Combined sales tax differs by 2.7 percentage points, higher in California. The effective property tax gap is 0.29 percentage points, higher in Massachusetts.
After a move from California to Massachusetts, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Riverside lines up with about $72,239 in Worcester on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Riverside
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $2,103
- HUD area
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $2,006
- All-items price parity
- 106.4
- Goods price parity
- 101.4
- Utilities price parity
- 148.6
- Mean commute
- 34.2 min
- Median household income
- $91,013
Worcester
Worcester, MA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $2,043
- HUD area
- Worcester, MA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,563
- All-items price parity
- 102.5
- Goods price parity
- 97.0
- Utilities price parity
- 155.2
- Mean commute
- 29.8 min
- Median household income
- $96,602
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$72,239
Salary in Worcester that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$72,823
Gross salary in Worcester whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$72,860
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | California | Massachusetts |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | up to 13.30% | up to 9.00% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 9.0% | 6.3% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.71% | 1.00% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $2,828 a year in California and $4,004 in Massachusetts. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Massachusetts
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in California and once in Massachusetts. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
RiversideLikely eligible
WorcesterLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
RiversideLikely eligible
WorcesterLikely eligible
WIC
RiversideLikely eligible
WorcesterLikely eligible
School meals
RiversideLikely eligible
WorcesterLikely eligible
LIHEAP
RiversideMaybe
WorcesterMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
RiversideLikely eligible
WorcesterLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
RiversideLikely eligible
WorcesterLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
RiversideUnlikely
WorcesterUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
RiversideLikely eligible
WorcesterLikely eligible
SSI
RiversideUnlikely
WorcesterUnlikely
| Program | Riverside | Worcester |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Riverside
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Riverside.
- Riverside and San Francisco · rent gap $1,594
- Riverside and San Jose · rent gap $1,169
- Riverside and McAllen · rent gap $1,086
- Riverside and Wichita · rent gap $1,060
- Riverside and Little Rock · rent gap $982
- Riverside and Toledo · rent gap $958
- Riverside and El Paso · rent gap $957
- Riverside and Baton Rouge · rent gap $954
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.