Boston Rent and Home Prices 2026: Data

Last updated: Oct 25, 2026. Figures will be refreshed when the Census Bureau and FRED publish new data.

Featured image: Brick rowhouses in Boston’s Back Bay. Photo: Andre Carrotflower via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Why is Boston housing so expensive? Federal data show that renting or buying in Boston costs far more than the national norm, and most Boston households rent. This explainer pulls together the latest Census Bureau survey figures, Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) price indexes and city documents to show how high costs are, how they compare and what policymakers are proposing. All figures were checked on Oct. 25, 2026.

How much is rent in Boston?

The median gross rent in the city of Boston was $2,196 a month in the Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) one-year estimates, the most recent release. Gross rent includes contract rent plus utilities and fuel paid by the tenant. The Massachusetts median was $1,848 and the national median was $1,487, so a typical Boston rent runs about 19% above the state figure and about 48% above the U.S. figure.

Rent growth has continued in 2026. The Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index for rent of a primary residence in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area, published on FRED, stood at 497.36 in September 2026 (1982-84 = 100), up from 487.94 in May. That is a rise of about 1.9% in four months.

How many Boston renters are cost-burdened?

Boston is a renters’ city. Of 294,977 occupied homes in the 2024 ACS, 189,050, or about 64%, were renter-occupied, while about 36% were owner-occupied.

Federal housing agencies call a household “cost-burdened” when it spends 30% or more of income on housing. Using the ACS table on gross rent as a share of household income, The Boston Report calculated that about 53% of Boston renter households for whom the figure could be computed were cost-burdened in 2024. About 23.5%, or 41,790 households, spent half or more of their income on rent. The citywide median household income, counting owners and renters, was $97,791.

How much does a home cost in Boston?

The median value of an owner-occupied home in Boston was $722,800 in the 2024 ACS, compared with $607,400 statewide and $360,600 nationally. Values in the survey are estimated by owners, so they are a guide rather than a sale price.

Prices across the region have climbed for decades. The S&P Cotality Case-Shiller home price index for the Boston metro area, which FRED reports with January 2000 set at 100, reached 357.08 in July 2026. That means repeat-sale home prices in the region are roughly 3.6 times their level at the start of 2000, before adjusting for inflation. The index has been relatively flat in 2026, moving from 355.28 in March to 357.08 in July.

Borrowing costs add to the monthly bill. Freddie Mac’s weekly survey, published on FRED, put the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 7.32% on Oct. 22, 2026.

What is driving Boston housing costs?

A slowing building pipeline: The city’s fiscal 2027 budget says new construction “is expected to be lower than in recent years” because of high interest rates, construction inflation and commercial vacancies, and it points to a “stagnating development pipeline.”
Office-to-housing conversions: The same budget document says the administration has “placed an increased focus on the conversion of vacant office spaces into residential units.”
Property taxes shifting to homes: The Boston Municipal Research Bureau reported that the residential share of the property tax levy reached 46.1% in fiscal 2026, the highest in at least four decades, as commercial values fell. Higher residential taxes raise costs for owners, including landlords. Our guide to Boston property tax bills and exemptions explains the residential exemption.
Demand from a large job base: Hospitals, universities and life sciences firms are among the area’s biggest employers. See the Boston Job Market page for employment data.

What are officials proposing?

Mayor Michelle Wu and the City Council sent a home rule petition to the Legislature in March 2023 seeking permission for rent stabilization and “just cause” eviction protections. According to the city’s housing department page, the petition is still before the Legislature. A separate statewide rent control ballot question was disqualified by the Supreme Judicial Court in 2026 over a religious-institution exemption, State House News Service reported.

Voters will decide Question 7 on Nov. 3, 2026, which would let single-family homes be built on residential lots of at least 5,000 square feet with sewer and water access. City councilors have also proposed a “worst landlords” list ordinance aimed at problem properties.

Renters seeking help can contact the city’s Office of Housing at 617-635-3880, the number listed on its website.

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Why Is Boston Housing So Expensive? Rents and Home Prices by the Numbers