2026 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Boston, MA vs Champaign, IL

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Champaign or is it cheaper to live in Boston?
- Champaign is 46.2% less expensive than Boston.

Which city has more affordable housing, Champaign or Boston?
- Champaign housing costs are 76.1% less expensive than Boston housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Boston or is Health Care more affordable in Champaign.
- Health related expenses are 24.2% more in Champaign.
 Boston, MAChampaign, ILUnited States
 Overall  Unlock81.1100
 Food & Groceries111.4  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock111.4100
 Housing228.7  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$190,400$338,100
 Utilities117  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock69.4100
 Miscellaneous157.9  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Boston    122 Reviews

Over 3 years ago

health care in the country, plenty of jobs, gorgeous architecture, cool neighborhoods, lots of great restaurants, and always something to do. The beautiful coast, the  More

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I've lived in/near Boston my whole life almost. It has many pros such as a big city feel, extremely safe, reliable train transportation, great food. However any pro  More

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I moved to MA from the country of Georgia in eastern Europe. Then traveled quite a bit in the U.S. Boston definitely has its own flavor. Suburbs offer okay schools,  More

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Reviews for Champaign    13 Reviews

Over 7 years ago

Pros - close to Chicago, has Parkland community college and lots of places to eat. There is a train station downtown that is really good. Beautiful deciduous trees and  More

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Over 9 years ago

I wonderful city with great  More

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Actually it's barely a nice place to live. The pros: Not terribly expensive - at one point the least expensive place to live in the country among modest sized  More

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