Compare / Urban Honolulu to Worcester
Urban Honolulu, HI vs Worcester, MA
Simple answer
You'd likely save $499 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 $438, with Urban Honolulu higher.
Hawaii taxes wages at rates up to 11.00%. Massachusetts taxes wages at rates up to 9.00%. Combined sales tax differs by 1.8 percentage points, higher in Massachusetts. The effective property tax gap is 0.73 percentage points, higher in Massachusetts.
After a move from Hawaii to Massachusetts, these benefit results change for a family of four at $40,000 and a single adult at $18,000: LIHEAP.
A $75,000 salary in Urban Honolulu lines up with about $69,297 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.
Urban Honolulu
Urban Honolulu, HI
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $2,542
- HUD area
- Urban Honolulu, HI MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $2,001
- All-items price parity
- 111.0
- Goods price parity
- 111.6
- Utilities price parity
- 187.3
- Mean commute
- 27.3 min
- Median household income
- $105,205
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.
$69,297
Salary in Worcester that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$67,339
Gross salary in Worcester whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$60,277
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 | Hawaii | Massachusetts |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | up to 11.00% | up to 9.00% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 4.5% | 6.3% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.27% | 1.00% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $1,089 a year in Hawaii 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 Hawaii and once in Massachusetts. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
Urban HonoluluLikely eligible
WorcesterLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
Urban HonoluluLikely eligible
WorcesterLikely eligible
WIC
Urban HonoluluLikely eligible
WorcesterLikely eligible
School meals
Urban HonoluluLikely eligible
WorcesterLikely eligible
LIHEAP
Urban HonoluluLikely eligible
WorcesterMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
Urban HonoluluLikely eligible
WorcesterLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
Urban HonoluluLikely eligible
WorcesterLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
Urban HonoluluUnlikely
WorcesterUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
Urban HonoluluLikely eligible
WorcesterLikely eligible
SSI
Urban HonoluluUnlikely
WorcesterUnlikely
| Program | Urban Honolulu | 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 | Likely eligible | 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 |
LIHEAP changes. In Urban Honolulu the result is “Likely on the federal income floor.” In Worcester it is “Maybe — the state picks the line inside the federal range.” Income is inside the 150 percent option. Whether this state uses that line, a lower one, or 60 percent of state median income is not verified.
Related comparisons
From Urban Honolulu
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Urban Honolulu.
- Urban Honolulu and McAllen · rent gap $1,525
- Urban Honolulu and Wichita · rent gap $1,499
- Urban Honolulu and Little Rock · rent gap $1,421
- Urban Honolulu and Toledo · rent gap $1,397
- Urban Honolulu and El Paso · rent gap $1,396
- Urban Honolulu and Baton Rouge · rent gap $1,393
- Urban Honolulu and Columbia · rent gap $1,316
- Urban Honolulu and Tulsa · rent gap $1,313
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.