Most Expensive Neighborhoods to Rent an Apartment in Boston
The Hub is the third most expensive place to rent in the U.S., according to rental site Zumper.
Boston, you’re great and all, but you’re really expensive to live in.
In fact, Boston is the third most expensive city in the nation, according to Zumper, a rental listings site. In March, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the Greater Boston area clocked in at $2,280, behind San Francisco ($3,400) and New York ($3,000).
Greater Boston has maintained its number three spot since August 2014, when Zumper began tracking national data. Zumper defines Greater Boston as Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline, Chelsea, and Everett.
Most expensive neighborhoods for a one-bedroom:
1. D Street — West Broadway (South Boston): $3,350
2. Kendall Square (Cambridge): $3,240
3. Downtown Boston: $3,000
4. Chinatown/Leather District: $2,900
5. Thompson Square/Bunker Hill (Charlestown): $2,730
Neighborhoods with the biggest jumps in median one-bedroom rent between March and February:
1. Mid-Cambridge: Increased 7.5 percent to $2,150
2. Lower Roxbury: Increased 7.3 percent to $2,500
3. Lower Mystic Basin (Everett): Increased 6.2 percent to $2,070
Neighborhoods with the biggest decreases in median one-bedroom rent between March and February:
1. Davis Square: Decreased 10.3 percent to $2,000
2. Chinatown/Leather District: Decreased 9.1 percent to $2,900
3. Strawberry Hill (Cambridge): Decreased 6.8 percent to $2,050
Last month a group of volunteers by the name of Code For Boston, created several interactive maps that compare housing and demographic data from 1990, 2000, and 2010. The maps show just how quickly the high rents have spread throughout the city. Especially hot areas include South Boston, Downtown Boston, Cambridge, and the West End.
According to Zillow, Bostonians an average of 34 percent of their income on rent in the last quarter of 2014. Across the country, residents spent 30 percent of their income on rent.
Code for Boston’s map also visualizes the median percentage of income residents spend on rent. In 2010, those in the Roxbury and Fenway areas spent up to 40 to 50 percent of their income on rent.
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