Cost of living comparison
compared to
Massachusetts vs. Portland Cost of Living Summary
Massachusetts is 5.3% more expensive than Portland.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.4% less in Massachusetts
- Groceries
-
pay 3.5% less in Massachusetts
- Transportation
-
pay 6.7% more in Massachusetts
- Housing
-
pay 2.3% less in Massachusetts
- Childcare
-
pay 71.5% more in Massachusetts
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.6% less in Massachusetts
- Clothing
-
pay 21.6% less in Massachusetts
The cost of childcare and transportation in Massachusetts are more expensive than in Portland. Expenses including clothing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and housing are lower in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts vs. Portland Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Massachusetts instead of Portland, you would:
pay 9.4% less for restaurants
|
Portland
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$20.54
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$12.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.63
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.38
|
$2.13
|
|
Portland vs. Massachusetts - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.5% less for groceries
|
Portland
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.88
|
$3.53
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.55
|
$7.98
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$4.30
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.17
|
$4.57
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.01
|
$5.52
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.29
|
$2.43
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.75
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.72
|
$2.19
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.76
|
$2.51
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.50
|
$1.36
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.62
|
$1.32
|
|
Portland vs. Massachusetts - Cost of groceries
pay 6.7% more for transportation
|
Portland
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.18
|
$3.21
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.00
|
$70.22
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,531.35
|
$33,617.11
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.43
|
$16.49
|
|
Portland vs. Massachusetts - Cost of transportation
pay 2.3% less for housing
|
Portland
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$82.29
|
$70.71
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,142.86
|
$2,203.18
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,583.33
|
$1,938.26
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$191.18
|
$152.69
|
|
Portland vs. Massachusetts - Cost of housing
pay 71.5% more for childcare
|
Portland
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$828.50
|
$2,228.25
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$33,333.33
|
$24,653.85
|
|
Portland vs. Massachusetts - Cost of childcare
pay 4.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Portland
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.25
|
$6.61
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.25
|
$4.91
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.52
|
$12.23
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$65.00
|
$69.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.00
|
$14.41
|
|
Portland vs. Massachusetts - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 21.6% less for clothing
|
Portland
|
Massachusetts
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.25
|
$51.65
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$80.00
|
$38.73
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$122.25
|
$87.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$133.00
|
$118.04
|
|
Portland vs. Massachusetts - 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
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