Last updated August 26, 2026

Average Rent in Boston, MA & Rent Trends

Rent prices and market trends across 29 apartment communities in Boston, MA. Updated daily.

Area All Areas Brighton Chinatown D Street / West Broadway East Boston Prudential / St. Botolph South Boston South End West End

Beds All Bedrooms Studio 1 Bed 2 Bed 3 Bed 4 Bed 5 Bed

Market Average

$4,555/mo

▲ +4% from last month

Lowest Available

$1,300/mo

cheapest unit on market

Communities

tracked daily

Units Listed

435

available now

Price Cuts This Week in Boston, MA

164 listed units across 22 buildings in Boston, MA dropped their asking rent in the past 7 days, an average cut of $311/mo. These are the largest cuts, tracked unit by unit with daily price checks.

Apartment	Unit	Last Week	Now	Cut
Avalon Exeter	Unit 16	$12,145	$9,590	$2,555
Boston Pads	Unit 29	$5,200	$2,895	$2,305
Boston Pads	Unit 51	$4,950	$2,729	$2,221
Boston Pads	Unit 41	$4,400	$2,295	$2,105
Boston Pads	Unit 46	$5,000	$2,995	$2,005
Avalon Exeter	Unit 7	$6,900	$5,030	$1,870
Avalon Exeter	Unit 8	$7,035	$5,330	$1,705
Boston Pads	Unit 31	$4,500	$2,840	$1,660

See today's prices on all 435 listed units

Rent by Neighborhood in Boston, MA

Compare average rent across Boston, MA neighborhoods. Click any area to see detailed trends. View these neighborhoods on the rent map

Neighborhood	Avg Rent	30d Change	From	Properties	Units
West End	$5,374	▲ $571	$3,390	3	53
D Street / West Broadway	$4,656	▲ $154	$2,999	14	233
Prudential / St. Botolph	$4,509	▲ $489	$2,100	3	71
Chinatown	$4,364	▼ $95	$3,553	3	18
Brighton	$3,863	▲ $365	$2,995	1	9
South End	$3,858	▼ $376	$3,386	1	18
South Boston	$3,495	▲ $2,184	$1,300	3	17
East Boston	$3,103	-	$2,389	1	16

Is Rent Going Up or Down in Boston, MA?

As of August 2026, the average rent in Boston, MA is $4,555 per month across 29 apartment communities and 435 available units. Rents have increased $179 (4%) over the past month.

The most affordable option is Elevated Boston starting at $1,300/mo. By unit type, a studio averages $3,517/mo, a 1-bedroom averages $4,243/mo, a 2-bedroom averages $5,889/mo, a 3-bedroom averages $5,793/mo, a 4-bedroom averages $3,687/mo, a 5-bedroom averages $3,099/mo.

Prices range from $1,300 to $12,350 per month. The most common price point is the $3,800 range, where 46 units are currently listed.

Boston, MA Rent Price History

Timeframe

View as table

Month	Avg Rent	Change	Properties
April 2026	$4,454	-	9
May 2026	$4,521	+$67	21
June 2026	$4,675	+$154	22
July 2026	$4,724	+$49	28
August 2026	$4,673	-$51	29

The trend line and monthly averages track each building's average listed price, recorded daily with outliers trimmed. The current month is a month-to-date figure, so it can sit above or below today's live market average shown at the top of this page.

Average Rent by Bedroom

Rent Price Distribution

Rent by Bedroom Type in Boston, MA

Studio

$3,517

from $2,389 · 85 units

1 Bed

$4,243

from $1,300 · 209 units

2 Bed

$5,889

from $2,100 · 95 units

3 Bed

$5,793

from $2,800 · 32 units

4 Bed

$3,687

from $2,295 · 13 units

5 Bed

$3,099

from $3,099 · 1 units

Rent Prices by Apartment in Boston, MA

Property	Starting at	Average	Units	Rating
Elevated Boston	$1,300/mo	$2,800/mo	6	4.8
Boston Pads	$2,100/mo	$3,303/mo	48	4.9
Addison	$2,389/mo	$3,103/mo	16	4.7
West Square Apartments	$2,735/mo	$3,337/mo	3	3.4
Avalon Brighton	$2,995/mo	$3,863/mo	9	3.9
381 Congress Lofts	$2,999/mo	$3,399/mo	5	4.5
South Standard	$3,110/mo	$4,076/mo	8	4.9
VIA Seaport Residences Apartments	$3,118/mo	$4,642/mo	29	4.7
The Metlo	$3,193/mo	$4,451/mo	18	4.6
Ora Seaport Apartments	$3,237/mo	$4,381/mo	18	4.7
Watermark Seaport Apartments	$3,355/mo	$4,085/mo	19	4.7
Park Lane Seaport	$3,369/mo	$4,581/mo	26	4.7
Ink Block	$3,386/mo	$3,858/mo	18	4.5
The Benjamin Seaport Residences Apartments	$3,390/mo	$5,525/mo	19	4.8
The Sudbury	$3,390/mo	$5,448/mo	31	4.6
One Canal Apartment Homes	$3,432/mo	$6,443/mo	9	4.6
The Alyx	$3,434/mo	$5,825/mo	12	4.7
Waterside Place Apartments by Windsor	$3,510/mo	$4,592/mo	20	4.8
One Greenway	$3,553/mo	$4,193/mo	8	4.8
The Victor by Windsor	$3,694/mo	$4,459/mo	13	4.8
660 Washington Apartments	$3,720/mo	$4,868/mo	6	4.5
Avalon Exeter	$3,735/mo	$6,926/mo	18	4.9
100 Pier 4	$3,743/mo	$4,555/mo	28	3.6
Flats on D	$3,746/mo	$4,583/mo	6	4.4
Gables Seaport	$3,830/mo	$4,724/mo	24	4.8
315 on A Apartments	$3,855/mo	$4,509/mo	4	4.4
The Kensington	$3,856/mo	$3,950/mo	4	4.9
The Lofts at Atlantic Wharf	$3,859/mo	$4,866/mo	5	4.9
212 Stuart	$5,224/mo	$7,393/mo	5	4.8

Frequently Asked Questions About Rent in Boston, MA

What is the average rent in Boston, MA?

The average rent in Boston, MA is $4,555 per month as of August 2026, based on 435 units across 29 apartment communities.

Is rent going up or down in Boston, MA?

Rent in Boston, MA has increased $179 (4%) over the past month. The current average is $4,555/mo.

What is the cheapest apartment in Boston, MA?

The most affordable apartment in Boston, MA is Elevated Boston with units starting at $1,300/mo.

How much is a 1-bedroom apartment in Boston, MA?

A 1-bedroom apartment in Boston, MA averages $4,243/mo, with prices starting at $1,300/mo across 209 available units.

How many apartments are available in Boston, MA?

There are 435 units available across 29 apartment communities in Boston, MA.

What salary do I need to live comfortably in Boston, MA?

Built on the 25 to 30 percent rent-to-income guideline used by most landlords and credit-scoring models.

Minimum to afford average rent

$182,000/year

Based on the 30 percent rule, using our tracked average rent of $4,555/mo.

Comfortable income

$219,000/year

Based on the 25 percent rule, leaving more room for savings, transport, and groceries.

To afford the cheapest tracked apartment ($1,300/mo), you need to earn at least $52,000/year.

Median household income in Boston, MA is $94,755 , about 57% below the comfortable-living threshold.

Cost of living in Boston, MA

Overall prices in Boston, MA runs above the national average by about 10% (BEA Regional Price Parity index 110.4, where 100 equals the U.S. average). The breakdown below estimates monthly costs for a single adult, using national consumer-spending baselines from the Bureau of Labor Statistics scaled by Boston, MA's regional price parities.

Category	Monthly estimate	Source
Rent (market average)	$4,555	daily refresh
Utilities	$637	BLS × BEA RPP
Groceries	$544	BLS × BEA RPP
Transportation	$1,520	BLS × BEA RPP
Healthcare	$741	BLS × BEA RPP
Other goods and services	$1,186	BLS × BEA RPP
Estimated total	$9,183/mo	$110,202/year

Population

663,972

Median household income

$94,755

Census median rent

$2,093/mo

Rent as % of income

30.1%

Median age

33.2

Mean commute

30 min

Methodology

Rent data

Sourced directly from each tracked apartment community and refreshed every 24 hours. Every listed unit price on this page is real and listed today.

Cost of living

Estimates combine national consumer-spending baselines from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Consumer Expenditure Survey) with the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (MARPP dataset). Both are peer-reviewed federal data releases published annually.

Salary to live comfortably

Applies the standard 25 to 30 percent rent-to-income rule on top of the listed rent. This is the same affordability guideline used by most landlords and credit-scoring models.

Demographic figures

Median household income, population, median age, commute time, Census median rent, and rent as percentage of income come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates, the most recent complete release.

Cost of living and demographic figures were last published in 2023.

Massachusetts Rent Trends

Compare rent across all Massachusetts cities

Boston, MA Neighborhood Rent Map

See rent history by neighborhood on a map

Explore Boston, MA on Map

See neighborhoods and rent data interactively

US-wide rent comparison

See how Boston, MA rents stack up against the national median