PiggyRentShould you renew or move in Boston?
Type your renewal offer and today's rent, pick your bedrooms and a place, and the calculator puts a year at the offer next to a year at what nearby apartments ask, after the one-time cost of moving.
In October 2026, the median asking rent in Boston, MA is studio $2,550 (959 listings), 1 bedroom $3,082 (2,040 listings), 2 bedroom $3,545 (2,399 listings) and 3 bedroom $3,750 (1,363 listings) (listings collected Oct 4–17, 2026). Half of the listed 1 bedrooms there ask between $2,600 and $3,782 a month. These are asking rents from listings, not signed leases, and the moving costs are estimates you can change.
· asking rents from listings · how we count
Renew or move: your numbers.
What a 1 bedroom asks in Boston, MA.
Median $3,082 a month, from 2,040 listings in 1,093 buildings; half ask between $2,600 and $3,782.
Asking rents from listings, not signed leases · listings collected Oct 4–17, 2026 · Boston, MA rents
The median ask. Change it to a listing you have in mind.
What moving costs, once.
Estimates to start from. Change any of them to your own numbers.
A local full-service move, the middle of the range for your bedroom count. Renting a truck and doing it yourself costs far less.
Source: Opendoor, moving cost by home size (updated Apr 20, 2026)
$Three applications at $50, the typical fee. Some buildings charge none, and some states cap them.
$Two weeks of paying both places, since move-out and move-in rarely land on the same day. Set it to 0 if your dates line up.
Source: Our estimate: half a month of the new rent
$Two working days for viewings and the move, at the US median full-time wage ($1,251 a week, about $31 an hour).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, usual weekly earnings, Q2 2026
$The new deposit is due before the old one comes back (usually, less any deductions), so it is cash you need up front rather than a cost. It is left out of the yearly math.
Source: Our estimate: one month of the new rent (Zillow's survey found a typical deposit of $600 to $750)
$
Your first year, either way.
Type your renewal offer to see the answer.
The check compares your rent with listings for the same kind of unit near your address. The lease review reads your lease and drafts the renewal email.
What apartments ask in Boston, October 2026.
Median asking rent from listings, with the number of listings behind each in brackets. Asking rents, not signed leases.
| Place | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|
| Boston, MA | $3,082 (2,040) | $3,545 (2,399) |
| Cambridge, MA | $3,200 (488) | $3,758 (498) |
listings collected Oct 4–17, 2026
How the math works.
- Renewing costs the offer times 12.
- Moving costs the new rent times 12, plus movers, application fees, overlap rent and time off, once. The new rent starts at the median ask for your bedrooms and place, and you can change it.
- The deposit is left out of the yearly math: you pay a new one and get the old one back, so it is cash up front, not a cost. The calculator says how much.
- The difference is what moving saves, or costs, over the first year. After that, a lower rent keeps saving and the moving costs are paid.
Questions renters ask.
- How much does a 1 bedroom rent for in Boston, MA right now?
- The median asking rent for a 1 bedroom in Boston, MA is $3,082 a month in October 2026, from 2,040 listed apartments in 1,093 buildings (listings collected Oct 4–17, 2026). Half ask between $2,600 and $3,782.
- How much does a 2 bedroom rent for in Boston, MA?
- The median asking rent for a 2 bedroom in Boston, MA is $3,545 a month in October 2026, from 2,399 listed apartments in 1,528 buildings.
- How much does it cost to move apartments in Boston?
- For a 1 bedroom, our starting estimate is about $3,090 in one-time costs: $900 for movers, $150 in application fees, $1,540 of overlap rent (two weeks at the $3,082 median) and $500 of time off. A new deposit of about $3,080 is due up front too; it usually comes back, less any deductions. Change any of them in the calculator.
- Is it cheaper to renew or move in Boston?
- It depends on the gap. Moving pays off when the offer is enough above what a similar apartment asks that 12 months of the difference cover the one-time moving costs. In Boston, MA, a renewal offer about $260 a month over the $3,082 1 bedroom median takes a year to win back a typical move; less than that and renewing is usually cheaper over the first year.
- Are these the rents people actually pay?
- No. They are asking rents on listings (Apartments.com and Zillow), not signed leases, and move-in specials are not taken off. A new renter would see these prices today, which is also what your landlord competes with.
- What should I do before deciding?
- Check your own building: the free check compares your rent with listings for the same kind of unit nearby, including your building's own when it has some listed. If staying looks right, a lower renewal is often worth asking for, and the lease review drafts that email from your lease.
PiggyRent is on the renter's side and gives estimates and negotiation guidance, not legal or financial advice.