Boston, MA rents, October 2026

What an apartment lists for in Boston.

These are medians: half the listings ask more and half ask less. The rent map shows averages, which run a little higher.

What a 1 bedroom in Boston lists for, in $250 steps.

Half ask between $2,600 and $3,782 a month. Listed 1 bedrooms by asking rent, 2,040 in all.

A 1 bedroom costs $3,082 in one city in the Boston area and $3,200 in another.

Median asking rent for a 1 bedroom, by city. Boston is 1st of 2, lowest first. Apartment size and age differ from place to place, so the useful number is your own city's.

1. Boston$3,082
2. Cambridge$3,200

Per square foot, a 1 bedroom in Boston lists for $4.79.

The median 1 bedroom listed in Boston, MA is 700 sq ft, at a median of $4.79 a sq ft a month (1,828 listings with a size). Divide your rent by your square feet to see where you sit.

The same floor plan, in the same building, can list at different prices.

When a building in Boston, MA lists two or more units of the identical floor plan (same name, bedrooms, bathrooms and square feet), 57% of the time they are $100 or more a month apart: 180 of 317 plans in 96 buildings. 115 are $200 or more apart. The median gap is $105.

$100 a month is $1,200 a year. Floor, view and move-in date explain some of it. It's still worth knowing what the other units of your plan list for when you tour or when your renewal comes.

The typical big building here listed 1 in 17 of its apartments this season.

Of 92 buildings in Boston, MA with 50 or more apartments, the median has 5.7% of its units listed in the last 45 days; 7 have 1 in 10 or more. Listed isn't vacant: a listing can be a unit coming free in the next few weeks. A building with units to fill is usually glad to keep a good renter.

Questions renters ask.

How much is rent in Boston, MA?

Median asking rent in Boston, MA, October 2026: studio $2,550, 1 bedroom $3,082, 2 bedrooms $3,545, 3 bedrooms $3,750 a month, from 7,636 listed apartments in 3,962 buildings (listings collected Oct 4–17, 2026).

How much is a 1 bedroom apartment in Boston, MA in October 2026?

The median asking rent for a 1 bedroom in Boston, MA is $3,082 a month, from 2,040 listed apartments in 1,093 buildings (listings collected Oct 4–17, 2026).

What is a normal price range for a 1 bedroom in Boston, MA?

Half of the listed 1 bedrooms in Boston, MA ask between $2,600 and $3,782 a month; a quarter ask less and a quarter ask more.

How much is a studio or a 2 bedroom in Boston, MA?

A studio's median asking rent is $2,550 a month and a 2 bedroom's is $3,545.

How big is a typical 1 bedroom in Boston, MA?

The median listed 1 bedroom in Boston, MA is 700 sq ft, at a median $4.79 a sq ft a month (1,828 listings with a size).

Which cities in the Boston area have the lowest 1 bedroom rents?

Of the 2 Boston-area cities we track, by median 1 bedroom asking rent: Boston $3,082, Cambridge $3,200.

Do apartments with the same floor plan in the same building rent for the same price?

Often not. When a building in Boston, MA lists two or more units of the identical floor plan, 57% of the time they are $100 or more a month apart (180 of 317 plans). The median gap is $105. $100 a month is $1,200 a 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. They show what a building is asking for a unit today.

How we got these numbers.

• Asking rents, not signed leases. Apartments listed on Apartments.com and Zillow collected Oct 4–17, 2026. Move-in specials aren't taken off.
• Each apartment counts once, even when both sites list it. Base rents from $300 to $15,000 a month.
• Figures are medians: half the listings ask more, half ask less. The rent map shows averages, which run a little higher.
• Every figure comes from two or more buildings, and no building is named. A bedroom count with fewer than 10 listings says “not enough listings”.
• Market-rate apartment listings only: whole houses, furnished units, income-restricted units whose listing says so (MFTE and other affordable-housing programs) and rents we found while researching a renter's lease are left out.
• Updated every two weeks, when new listings are gathered; the month in the title is the month of the update date above. The full method.