Sep 2026
$743K
+2.1% year-over-year
How it’s calculated
Rolling 3-month median sale price vs. same 3 months one year prior.
Boston, MA housing market
Boston, MA metro median sale price $743K in Sep 2026, up 2.1% year over year. Also days on market, price cuts, affordability and ZIP-code figures.
The median sale price in the Boston, MA metro is $743K as of Sep 2026, up 2.1% from a year earlier. That change sits near the middle of the 193 U.S. metros Pecan Street ranks on this measure. FHFA's repeat-sales index for the metro agrees within 1.1 points (up 3.2% through Q2 2026).
On median sale price, Boston ($743K) ranks 2nd of the four Massachusetts metros Pecan Street tracks, between Cape Cod ($761K) and Worcester ($489K). On median days on market, Boston (43 days) ranks 3rd of the four Massachusetts metros, between Worcester (45 days) and Springfield (39 days). On share of listings with a price cut, Boston (40%) ranks 3rd of the four Massachusetts metros, between Springfield (47%) and Cape Cod (34%).
Listings spent a median 43 days on market in Sep 2026, fewer than in most of the 195 metros. 40% of active listings carry a price cut, 2.3 points more than a year earlier. That share is higher than in most of the 195 metros. Median asking prices sit about 6% above the median sale price. Building permits authorized 816 new housing units in Aug 2026.
At the 7.38% 30-year fixed rate with 20% down, principal and interest on a median-priced home come to $4,106 a month; at 28% of gross income, that takes about $176K a year. The median sale price equals about 17 years of HUD Fair Market Rent, a ratio up 0.4% from a year earlier. That ratio is higher than in most of the 193 metros. Active listings ask a median $459 per square foot, down 1.8% from a year earlier.
In eight of the 12 ZIP codes in the table below, median list prices are lower than a year earlier; four are higher.
Headline
Oct 14, 2026
7.38%
30-year fixed
Where it comes from
National benchmark: Optimal Blue OBMMI 30-year conforming, via FRED. An average of rates borrowers have actually locked, updated daily.
The same rate appears on every market page.
Principal & interest
$4,106/mo
$176K/yr income needed
How it’s calculated
Payment — this market’s median sale price with 20% down, on a 30-year fixed loan at the rate shown. Principal and interest only — no property tax, insurance, PMI or HOA.
Income needed — that payment at 28% of gross income. A rule of thumb, not a lending decision.
How Boston compares to other U.S. metros
| Days on market | ↓167th of 195 |
|---|---|
| Price-to-rent | ↑56th of 193 (top 30%) |
| Price cuts | ↑77th of 195 (top 40%) |
| Asking-vs-sale gap | 87th of 166 |
| Home-price growth | 99th of 193 |
Rank across the U.S. metros Pecan Street tracks, on market data alone — a higher rank means more of that measure (more price cuts, faster price growth, a wider asking-vs-sale gap, a higher price-to-rent ratio, or more days on market). The bar shows where this metro sits within that metric’s own cohort (left is more, right is less); ↑ and ↓ mark the positions furthest from the middle, and rows are ordered the same way. Metrics without data for this metro are omitted.
Affordability
| Price-to-rent ratio | ≈ 17 +0.4% YoY ↑56th of 193 (top 30%) |
|---|---|
| Asking price / sq ft | $459 -1.8% YoY |
Price-to-rent divides the median sale price by the annual HUD Fair Market Rent (a 3-bedroom, 40th-percentile benchmark), so it is a directional rent-vs-buy read, not a cap rate; its year-over-year change is directional in the same way. Asking price per square foot is the median across active for-sale listings (Realtor.com), as of Sep 2026. The bar under a figure places this metro among the U.S. metros we track on that measure, highest first.
Market pressure
| Listings with a price cut | ≈ 40% +2.3 pts YoY ↑77th of 195 (top 40%) |
|---|---|
| New housing units permitted | 816 |
The median asking price $785K runs about 6% above the median sale price $743K.
Price-cut share is the portion of active for-sale listings that have taken a price reduction (Realtor.com), as of Sep 2026. New housing units authorized by residential building permits in the metro that month — new supply in the pipeline, which counts of existing listings don't capture (US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey), as of Aug 2026. Asking is the median list price of active listings (Realtor.com, this month); sale is the headline median of recent closings (Redfin, a rolling 3-month median) — distinct sources and windows, so the gap is a directional read, not a like-for-like difference. The bar under a figure places this metro among the U.S. metros we track on that measure, highest first.
Market facts
| ZIPs with listing data | 12 shown of 276 |
|---|---|
| MLS board of record | MLS PIN |
| Price methodology | Redfin vs FHFA HPI |
| Data as of | Sep 2026 |
Recent signals
Strength 4 / 5
$979K
Somerville median sale price fell back under $1M — now $979K
Dropping back below $1M re-opens a buyer pool that had been priced out — and puts sellers on notice that the last few months' comps are no longer defensible.
Price reconciliation
normal · 1.1ppRedfin (metro) +2.1% | FHFA HPI · Q2 2026 +3.2% |
Year-over-year home-price change from two independent methods — Redfin (monthly sold price) and FHFA (quarterly repeat-sales index). When they diverge, the market is mid-shift; cite the figure with that in mind.
Market dispatches
Citable market dispatches for Boston → Latest dispatch: Aug 14, 2026.
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Start free trialZIP-level data
| ZIP | Median list price | Active listings | New listings | Price reductions | Days on market | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01810 | $1.3M↑ | 80↑ | 68↑ | 30↑ | 42↓ | $1.0M↑ |
| 01970 | $568K↓ | 81↑ | 44↓ | 42↓ | 33↑ | $608K↑ |
| 02116 | $2.0M↑ | 150↑ | 82↑ | 44↑ | 74↓ | $1.4M↑ |
| 02118 | $1.1M↓ | 138↑ | 104↑ | 40↑ | 45↑ | $964K↑ |
| 02127 | $981K↓ | 148↑ | 108↑ | 34↑ | 45↑ | $861K↓ |
| 02128 | $669K↑ | 128↑ | 92↑ | 32↑ | 36↓ | $655K↓ |
| 02135 | $670K↓ | 132↑ | 60↑ | 42↑ | 62↑ | $663K↓ |
| 02155 | $807K↓ | 112↑ | 78↑ | 38↑ | 35↑ | $827K↑ |
| 02169 | $664K↑ | 110↑ | 62↑ | 30↑ | 39↑ | $640K↑ |
| 02301 | $530K↓ | 81↑ | 48↑ | 34↑ | 44↑ | $521K↑ |
| 02360 | $754K↓ | 231↑ | 142↑ | 70↑ | 39↓ | $659K↑ |
| 03801 | $810K↓ | 102↑ | 50↑ | 38↑ | 60↑ | $813K↑ |
ZIP figures from Realtor.com listing data; home value from Zillow ZHVI. ZIP codes shown have the most complete listing-data history and active for-sale inventory in this metro; the latest available month is shown per ZIP. Arrows show the direction of each figure against the same three months a year earlier; no arrow means the change rounds to zero or the comparison isn't available.