Newton has a reputation as one of the most expensive places in Greater Boston, and for buying a house that's accurate. For renting it's more specific than that. On Spot Easy's own listings Newton undercuts Cambridge at one, two and three bedrooms, and costs more than Somerville at every size. The exception is the biggest units, which in Newton usually means renting an actual house, at house prices.
The other thing that shapes life here is that Newton's 13 villages don't share a transit system. Seven have a Green Line D station, three have commuter rail, Auburndale has both, and four have neither. The difference matters every weekday morning.
What it costs, and why that surprises people
Newton runs cheaper than Cambridge at one, two and three bedrooms, and more expensive than Somerville at every size. At four bedrooms Newton passes Cambridge too, because a unit that size in Newton usually means renting a house.
| Size | Newton | Somerville | Cambridge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | $2,644 | $2,581 | $2,995 |
| 2 bedroom | $3,378 | $3,263 | $3,807 |
| 3 bedroom | $4,387 | $3,802 | $4,625 |
| 4 bedroom | $6,397 (usually a house) | $4,625 | $5,820 |
These are Spot Easy's own figures. All three cities come from one query on the same day, so this is a like-for-like comparison rather than three sources stitched together. They are average asking rents across Spot Easy listings over the past 30 days, not a citywide index, and we publish the full Somerville rent breakdown separately. Rents move monthly, so treat the gaps between the columns as the durable part rather than the exact figures.
Newton undercuts Cambridge at one, two and three bedrooms. The pattern reverses at four, where Newton runs above Cambridge, because a four-bedroom in Newton is usually a whole house rather than a floor of a triple-decker. Against Somerville it goes the other way at every size.
Why the small-unit market rents lower than you'd think
Newton is predominantly owner-occupied single-family housing. That's the whole explanation, and it works in two directions.
The rental pool is thinner than in Cambridge or Somerville, because a smaller share of the housing stock is rental in the first place. Less to choose from, and less turnover.
But what rental stock exists skews toward village apartments, two-family floors and converted houses rather than new high-rise construction. Cambridge has absorbed a great deal of new large-building supply over the past decade, Kendall Square most of all, and new construction rents at the top of the market. Newton has far less of that, which is most of why its one- and two-bedrooms come in under Cambridge's. Somerville has built at that scale too, at Assembly Row and Union Square, and still comes in a little under Newton at every size.
The real comparison is older village housing versus newer purpose-built apartments, not Newton versus Cambridge, and the price gap follows the building type more than the postcode.
The 13 villages, and how you get out of them
Seven of Newton's 13 villages have a Green Line D station, three have Framingham/Worcester commuter rail, Auburndale has both, and four are on bus or a car. Newton is organized around village centers rather than a single downtown, and the useful way to sort them is by how you leave in the morning.
One thing to know before you search: three of the seven D-branch stations in Newton are named for the station, not for a village. Eliot sits between Newton Highlands and Newton Upper Falls, Woodland sits between Newton Lower Falls and Auburndale, and Riverside, the end of the D branch, is in Auburndale. A listing advertised as being in Riverside or Woodland is really in one of those villages.
| Village | Transit | Nearest station | Housing stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newton Centre | Green Line D | Newton Centre | Village apartments, two-families, houses |
| Newton Highlands | Green Line D | Newton Highlands, Eliot | Village apartments and older houses |
| Chestnut Hill | Green Line D | Chestnut Hill | Lower density, larger houses, some apartments |
| Waban | Green Line D | Waban | Predominantly houses |
| Newton Upper Falls | Green Line D | Eliot | Houses and small apartment buildings |
| Newton Lower Falls | Green Line D | Woodland | Houses, some newer development |
| Auburndale | Green Line D and Commuter Rail | Riverside (D terminus), Auburndale | Predominantly houses; newer development near Riverside |
| Newtonville | Commuter Rail | Newtonville | Village apartments and two-families |
| West Newton | Commuter Rail | West Newton | Village center apartments, houses |
| Newton Corner | Bus; near the Pike | — | Mixed, including older apartment buildings |
| Nonantum | Bus | — | Two-families and houses |
| Oak Hill | Bus / car | — | Predominantly houses, low density |
| Thompsonville | Bus / car | — | Predominantly houses, low density |
There's no rent column here for a reason. No individual Newton village has enough listings on Spot Easy for a rent figure we would stand behind, and inventing thirteen would be exactly the kind of false precision the rest of this guide warns against. The citywide table above is the number to budget from.
The two railroads are not the same thing
This is the part that catches people who've only rented in Boston, Cambridge or Somerville before.
The Green Line D is rapid transit. It runs frequently throughout the day, you board without planning around a timetable, and it's part of the subway system.
The Framingham/Worcester Line is commuter rail. It runs on a published timetable with far fewer trains, it's built around peak-hour commuting, and it uses a different fare structure from the subway.
Both get you into Boston. Only one of them lets you leave the house without checking when the next one is.
We haven't put train frequencies, fares or journey times in here, because those change and we haven't verified a current set we'd stand behind. Check the MBTA's current timetable and fare for the specific station you'd be using before you commit to a village — particularly if you'd be relying on off-peak or weekend service, which is where commuter rail differs most from the subway.
If your schedule is irregular, or you'd be traveling into Boston outside commuter hours, that difference is worth more than a few hundred dollars of rent.
What the housing stock is actually like
Most of Newton's rental stock is older, and it behaves like older housing. Expect radiators rather than forced air, variable insulation, original windows more often than not, and frequently no central air conditioning. None of that is a problem, but it affects your winter heating bill and your July comfort, and it's worth asking about specifically.
In-unit laundry is a genuine premium in this kind of stock. Check whether it's in the unit, in the basement, or not on site at all.
Parking is generally easier than in Brookline, Cambridge or Somerville, simply because the density is lower and more units come with a driveway or an off-street space. Confirm it for the specific unit rather than assuming.
Renting three or four bedrooms in Newton usually means renting a house, not an apartment, so budget for a house's heating bill, a house's yard and a house's snow-clearing obligation on top of rent. Ask who is responsible for what before you sign.
The September 1 calendar
Newton runs on the same wave as the rest of Greater Boston. The bulk of leases start September 1 and end August 31.
For a September move, start looking between January and March and be ready to apply the day you tour. Because the rental pool here is thinner than in the neighboring cities, good village apartments go quickly and there's less fallback inventory than you'd get in Cambridge or Somerville.
If your dates don't line up cleanly, how to coordinate lease dates in Boston covers the overlap problem.
What you need ready to sign
Have your documents as PDFs before you tour — the documents you need to rent in Boston applies here unchanged.
On the money, expect first month, last month and a security deposit at signing, which is roughly three months' rent before anything else. What income Boston-area landlords screen for covers where the threshold sits.
Where to go next
If you're weighing Newton against its neighbors, we've written the same guide for each: renting in Somerville, living in Cambridge and living in Brookline.
When you want to see what's actually on the market, our Newton apartment listings are searchable by village and transit access, with no broker fee on partner units.
Frequently asked questions
How much is rent in Newton, MA?
On Spot Easy listings over the past 30 days, a one-bedroom in Newton averages about $2,644 and a two-bedroom about $3,378. Three- and four-bedroom rents run much higher, about $4,387 and $6,397, because units that size in Newton are generally house rentals.
Is Newton cheaper than Cambridge?
At one, two and three bedrooms, yes. A Newton one-bedroom averages about $2,644 against roughly $2,995 for a Cambridge one. At four bedrooms it reverses, because a Newton four-bedroom is usually a house.
How many villages does Newton have?
Thirteen. They function as separate village centers rather than neighborhoods of a single downtown.
Which Newton villages are on the Green Line?
Seven villages have a D-branch station: Chestnut Hill, Newton Centre, Newton Highlands, Newton Upper Falls, Waban, Newton Lower Falls and Auburndale. Note that three of the stations — Eliot, Woodland and Riverside — are named for the station rather than for a village.
Which villages are on commuter rail?
Three, on the Framingham/Worcester Line: Auburndale, West Newton and Newtonville.
Is commuter rail as good as the subway?
They're different. Commuter rail runs on a timetable with far fewer trains and a different fare structure. Check the current timetable for your station before choosing a village around it.
Do I need a car in Newton?
It depends heavily on the village. On the D branch, many renters manage without one. In the villages served only by bus, a car is far more useful than in Cambridge or Somerville.
Why is there less to rent in Newton?
The housing stock is predominantly owner-occupied single-family, so a smaller share of it is rental, and there's been much less new apartment construction than in the neighboring cities.
Sources, and when this was current
Written August 2026.
Rent figures are Spot Easy's own, taken from active and recently rented listings in Newton, Cambridge and Somerville over the 30 days to August 27, 2026. All three cities come from a single query, so the comparison is like-for-like. Studios are omitted because Newton had too few listings to report.
Village and station assignments are per the MBTA. MBTA fares, train frequencies and journey times are deliberately absent from this guide. They change often, and we would rather omit them than publish a set we have not verified.
Rents move monthly. Check current asking rents for your bedroom count and village before you budget.