Cost of living comparison
compared to
United Kingdom vs. Massachusetts Cost of Living Summary
United Kingdom is 2.1% cheaper than Massachusetts.
- Restaurants
-
pay 13.9% less in United Kingdom
- Groceries
-
pay 29.1% less in United Kingdom
- Transportation
-
pay 51.9% more in United Kingdom
- Housing
-
pay 18.6% less in United Kingdom
- Childcare
-
pay 26.4% less in United Kingdom
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.5% more in United Kingdom
- Clothing
-
pay 18.8% more in United Kingdom
The cost of transportation, clothing, and entertainment and sports in United Kingdom are more expensive than in Massachusetts. Expenses including groceries, childcare, housing, and restaurants are lower in United Kingdom.
United Kingdom vs. Massachusetts Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United Kingdom instead of Massachusetts, you would:
pay 13.9% less for restaurants
|
Massachusetts
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.54
|
$20.41
£15.41
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.50
|
$9.94
£7.51
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.63
|
$2.32
£1.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$1.65
£1.24
|
|
Massachusetts vs. United Kingdom - Cost of restaurants
pay 29.1% less for groceries
|
Massachusetts
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.53
|
$1.59
£1.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.98
|
$4.71
£3.55
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.30
|
$6.20
£4.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.57
|
$3.87
£2.92
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.52
|
$3.87
£2.92
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.43
|
$1.32
£1.00
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.75
|
$0.73
£0.55
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$1.28
£0.97
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.51
|
$1.49
£1.13
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.36
|
$0.72
£0.54
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.32
|
$0.71
£0.54
|
|
Massachusetts vs. United Kingdom - Cost of groceries
pay 51.9% more for transportation
|
Massachusetts
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.21
|
$7.22
£5.45
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$70.22
|
$99.05
£74.80
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,617.11
|
$36,224.29
£27,355.86
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.49
|
$22.08
£16.67
|
|
Massachusetts vs. United Kingdom - Cost of transportation
pay 18.6% less for housing
|
Massachusetts
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$70.71
|
$41.90
£31.64
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,203.18
|
$1,285.79
£971.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,938.26
|
$1,062.09
£802.07
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$152.69
|
$233.57
£176.39
|
|
Massachusetts vs. United Kingdom - Cost of housing
pay 26.4% less for childcare
|
Massachusetts
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,228.25
|
$1,530.71
£1,155.97
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,653.85
|
$19,375.12
£14,631.70
|
|
Massachusetts vs. United Kingdom - Cost of childcare
pay 2.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Massachusetts
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.61
|
$6.35
£4.79
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.91
|
$4.54
£3.43
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.23
|
$19.18
£14.48
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$69.50
|
$49.26
£37.20
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.41
|
$13.88
£10.48
|
|
Massachusetts vs. United Kingdom - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 18.8% more for clothing
|
Massachusetts
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.65
|
$86.00
£64.94
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.73
|
$44.20
£33.38
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.67
|
$95.21
£71.90
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$118.04
|
$101.36
£76.54
|
|
Massachusetts vs. United Kingdom - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United States vs. United Kingdom.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and United Kingdom.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about United Kingdom or Massachusetts. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.