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Rental market report (January 2025)
On the hunt for a new place? Here's what you need to know about apartment prices in Boston, the rest of the state, and nationally.
Unfortunately for renters, asking rents in some neighborhoods outside the city center are climbing toward the rates of their downtown counterparts.
The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Charlestown and South Boston is about the same as the average rent on Beacon Hill, according to data from ApartmentAdvisor. The rental marketplace based its data on available listings as of Feb. 3.
The most affordable neighborhoods vary by the number of bedrooms per apartment. For renters looking for a studio, Brighton, Chinatown, East Boston, and Allston offer the lowest average prices. One-bedroom hunters could try their luck in Roslindale and Mattapan, and two-bedroom seekers should add Hyde Park, Mattapan, and Dorchester to their list. Apartments with three or more bedrooms follow similar trends, with the lowest average rent in Roslindale.
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See the website’s full list of neighborhood pricing (as of Feb. 3):
| Studio | 1 bed | 2 beds | 3+ beds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allston | $2,100 | $2,350 | $3,000 | $4,700 |
| Back Bay | $2,500 | $3,300 | $4,400 | $9,500 |
| Bay Village | * | $3,200 | $4,600 | * |
| Beacon Hill | $2,400 | $3,000 | $3,800 | $4,800 |
| Brighton | $2,049 | $2,350 | $2,933 | $4,350 |
| Charlestown | * | $3,000 | $3,800 | $3,900 |
| Chinatown | $2,050 | $3,572 | $3,958 | * |
| Dorchester | $2,175 | $2,300 | $2,800 | $3,588 |
| Downtown | $2,895 | $3,786 | $5,166 | $11,775 |
| East Boston | $2,100 | $2,500 | $3,138 | $4,000 |
| Fenway | $2,450 | $3,075 | $3,802 | $5,500 |
| Hyde Park | * | $2,200 | $2,625 | $3,600 |
| Jamaica Plain | * | $2,400 | $3,116 | $3,850 |
| Mattapan | * | $2,138 | $2,725 | $3,500 |
| Mission Hill | $2,200 | $2,395 | $3,484 | $6,050 |
| North End | $2,250 | $2,700 | $3,600 | $4,949 |
| Roslindale | * | $2,100 | $2,875 | $3,200 |
| Roxbury | $2,200 | $2,475 | $3,200 | $4,500 |
| Seaport | $3,150 | $3,955 | $5,135 | $7,230 |
| South Boston | $2,882 | $3,190 | $3,895 | $4,975 |
| South End | $2,785 | $3,350 | $4,435 | $7,180 |
| West End | $3,055 | $3,634 | $4,724 | * |
| West Roxbury | * | $3,243 | $3,815 | $3,825 |
Mass. rental market
The Commonwealth continue to hold its rank as the second-most expensive state for renters, behind New York, but the average price of a one-bedroom in the state has declined 1.8 percent year over year ($2,450).
The most expensive Massachusetts cities for renters remain in Greater Boston, with Brookline having the highest one-bedroom apartment price ($3,000), a 5.3 percent increase from last year. Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston, in that order, are next. In good news, two-bedroom prices in all four cities have declined over the past year.
The least expensive cities based on one-bedroom apartment costs in the Commonwealth are, in order, Springfield, Fall River, New Bedford, and Taunton.
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See the list of Massachusetts cities below with their January average rents:
| City | Median Rent | 1 Month Change | 1 Year Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookline | $3,000 | 6.2% | 5.3% |
| Cambridge | $2,975 | 1.2% | -0.8% |
| Somerville | $2,817 | 8.3% | 4.3% |
| Boston | $2,750 | -3.3% | -3.8% |
| Dedham | $2,546 | -6.8% | -0.6% |
| Newton | $2,517 | 0.7% | 2.8% |
| Plymouth | $2,373 | -7% | 24.9% |
| Waltham | $2,350 | 0% | 2.2% |
| Watertown | $2,318 | -4.4% | -16.5% |
| Revere | $2,300 | 0% | 4.5% |
| Quincy | $2,255 | -0.6% | 0.9% |
| Chelsea | $2,250 | 7.1% | -3.1% |
| Medford | $2,200 | -3.1% | -22% |
| Weymouth | $2,200 | 1.9% | 7.5% |
| Gloucester | $2,195 | 10% | – |
| Malden | $2,165 | 4.7% | 3.1% |
| Arlington | $2,155 | 2.6% | -7.3% |
| Winthrop | $2,127 | 6.6% | -7% |
| Wakefield | $2,100 | -2.3% | 5.5% |
| Lynn | $2,100 | 7.4% | 0% |
| Everett | $2,045 | -2.7% | -4.9% |
| Woburn | $2,005 | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Marlborough | $2,000 | 8.1% | 11.3% |
| Norwood | $2,000 | -16.7% | -10.3% |
| Salem | $2,000 | -3.6% | -2.4% |
| Framingham | $1,976 | -1.2% | 2.7% |
| Andover | $1,973 | -1.4% | -6.1% |
| Melrose | $1,925 | -4.9% | -14.4% |
| Natick | $1,904 | 0% | -24.6% |
| Methuen Town | $1,850 | 0% | 6.5% |
| Brockton | $1,850 | 0% | 12.1% |
| Haverhill | $1,813 | 2.1% | 5.1% |
| Lawrence | $1,784 | 1.7% | 4.8% |
| Worcester | $1,750 | 0% | 9.7% |
| Lowell | $1,750 | -2.8% | 6.3% |
| Leominster | $1,705 | 8.2% | 14% |
| Taunton | $1,700 | -1.4% | 31.3% |
| New Bedford | $1,610 | 7.3% | 7% |
| Fall River | $1,500 | -1.6% | 11.1% |
| Springfield | $1,350 | -3.9% | -3.4% |
Some cities have seen dramatic changes: The overall rent for available listings in Plymouth has increased nearly 25 percent in the past year, while costs in Natick have decreased that amount. Asking rents on available listings in Taunton are also up more than 30 percent, and Medford prices are down 22 percent.
US market
Rent prices in the United States for studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments have all fallen over the past three months. The median price of studios saw the biggest change, falling 8.5 percent. But a decline in asking rents is typical during winter, the least popular time to move, according to Apartment List. They typically peak in July.
| Studio | 1 Bed | 2 Bed | 3 Bed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median Rent | $1,488 | $1,450 | $1,595 | $1,900 |
| 1-Month Change | -4% | -3% | -0.3% | -1.7% |
| 3-Month Change | -8.5% | -7.9% | -3.9% | -4.8% |
| 1-Year Change | -0.4% | +0.4% | +1.1% | +0.2% |
Boston has fallen from the third-most expensive locale to the fourth in ApartmentAdvisor’s rankings of 100 cities, which is based on the median rent price for a one-bedroom apartment. New England cities have a strong presence in the top 50, with Portland, Maine, at No. 10; Providence at 16; Burlington, Vt., at 18; Manchester, N.H., at 25; and Hartford at 46.
See the full list below:
| Rank # | City | Median Rent (1 Bedroom) | Median Rent (2 Bedroom) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York City | $3,600 | $4,150 |
| 2 | Jersey City | $3,487 | $4,519 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $2,895 | $3,995 |
| 4 | Boston | $2,800 | $3,400 |
| 5 | Charleston, SC | $2,200 | $2,463 |
| 6 | San Diego | $2,195 | $2,895 |
| 7 | San Jose, CA | $2,182 | $2,792 |
| 8 | Washington, DC | $2,175 | $3,000 |
| 9 | Chicago | $2,120 | $2,471 |
| 10 | Portland, ME | $2,110 | $2,400 |
| 11 | Miami | $2,100 | $3,189 |
| 12 | Los Angeles | $2,095 | $2,850 |
| 13 | Oakland, CA | $1,895 | $2,500 |
| 14 | Seattle | $1,800 | $2,395 |
| 15 | Honolulu | $1,800 | $2,700 |
| 16 | Providence | $1,738 | $1,875 |
| 17 | Riverside, CA | $1,700 | $2,100 |
| 18 | Burlington, VT | $1,700 | $2,650 |
| 19 | Ann Arbor, MI | $1,700 | $2,466 |
| 20 | Tampa, FL | $1,695 | $1,800 |
| 21 | Savannah, GA | $1,633 | $1,638 |
| 22 | St. Petersburg, FL | $1,595 | $2,100 |
| 23 | Charlotte, NC | $1,581 | $1,600 |
| 24 | Atlanta | $1,550 | $1,925 |
| 25 | Manchester, NH | $1,548 | $1,775 |
| 26 | Wilmington, DE | $1,523 | $1,800 |
| 27 | Virginia Beach, VA | $1,520 | $1,700 |
| 28 | Madison, WI | $1,510 | $1,900 |
| 29 | Sacramento | $1,498 | $1,850 |
| 30 | Denver | $1,497 | $2,150 |
| 31 | Newark | $1,495 | $2,045 |
| 32 | Fort Worth | $1,425 | $1,695 |
| 33 | Nashville | $1,425 | $1,650 |
| 34 | Boise, ID | $1,400 | $1,395 |
| 35 | Portland, OR | $1,400 | $1,750 |
| 36 | Dallas, TX | $1,354 | $1,910 |
| 37 | Austin, TX | $1,350 | $1,700 |
| 38 | Orlando | $1,350 | $1,678 |
| 39 | Fresno, CA | $1,343 | $1,563 |
| 40 | Philadelphia | $1,325 | $1,600 |
| 41 | New Orleans | $1,325 | $1,425 |
| 42 | Houston | $1,300 | $1,559 |
| 43 | Grand Rapids, MI | $1,295 | $1,395 |
| 44 | Baltimore | $1,294 | $1,570 |
| 45 | Richmond | $1,250 | $1,419 |
| 46 | Hartford | $1,250 | $1,480 |
| 47 | Phoenix | $1,225 | $1,500 |
| 48 | Buffalo | $1,200 | $1,198 |
| 49 | Anchorage | $1,200 | $1,950 |
| 50 | Reno | $1,195 | $1,595 |
| 51 | Pittsburgh | $1,195 | $1,450 |
| 52 | Salt Lake City | $1,150 | $1,537 |
| 53 | Columbus, OH | $1,138 | $1,250 |
| 54 | Raleigh, NC | $1,135 | $1,495 |
| 55 | Rochester, NY | $1,125 | $1,295 |
| 56 | Las Vegas | $1,100 | $1,490 |
| 57 | Minneapolis | $1,050 | $1,450 |
| 58 | St. Paul | $1,048 | $1,450 |
| 59 | Spokane, WA | $1,043 | $1,248 |
| 60 | Corpus Christi, TX | $1,040 | $1,255 |
| 61 | Kansas City, MO | $1,025 | $1,275 |
| 62 | Jacksonville, FL | $1,020 | $1,299 |
| 63 | Colorado Springs | $995 | $1,349 |
| 64 | Fargo, ND | $995 | $1,080 |
| 65 | Milwaukee | $995 | $1,100 |
| 66 | Des Moines | $956 | $1,095 |
| 67 | Little Rock, AR | $950 | $995 |
| 68 | Cincinnati | $950 | $1,310 |
| 69 | Omaha | $950 | $1,300 |
| 70 | Tallahassee | $950 | $1,200 |
| 71 | San Antonio | $950 | $1,250 |
| 72 | Memphis | $925 | $1,000 |
| 73 | Jackson, MS | $925 | $1,100 |
| 74 | Fayetteville, NC | $900 | $1,050 |
| 75 | Baton Rouge, LA | $900 | $1,048 |
| 76 | Tucson | $899 | $1,195 |
| 77 | Augusta, GA | $895 | $1,100 |
| 78 | Indianapolis | $895 | $1,150 |
| 79 | Detroit | $895 | $1,050 |
| 80 | Greensboro, NC | $895 | $1,200 |
| 81 | Billings, MT | $895 | $1,195 |
| 82 | Cheyenne, WY | $895 | $1,000 |
| 83 | Albuquerque | $885 | $1,200 |
| 84 | Lexington, KY | $875 | $1,195 |
| 85 | Birmingham, AL | $875 | $953 |
| 86 | Oklahoma City | $860 | $1,067 |
| 87 | Cleveland | $850 | $995 |
| 88 | Louisville, KY | $850 | $1,060 |
| 89 | St. Louis | $850 | $1,295 |
| 90 | Tulsa, OK | $849 | $1,150 |
| 91 | Sioux Falls, SD | $825 | $1,050 |
| 92 | Huntsville, AL | $824 | $1,063 |
| 93 | El Paso | $800 | $1,040 |
| 94 | Fort Wayne, IN | $800 | $1,012 |
| 95 | Lincoln, NE | $795 | $1,006 |
| 96 | Cedar Rapids, IA | $760 | $1,095 |
| 97 | Akron, OH | $750 | $900 |
| 98 | Toledo, OH | $675 | $890 |
| 99 | Charleston, WV | $675 | $850 |
| 100 | Wichita, KS | $650 | $850 |
In more New England news, Connecticut in saw the largest drop month over month for rentals at the state level, down 5.1 percent since December. Vermont, on the other hand, had the largest increase, up 9.7 percent month over month.
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