Average Rent in Boston (2026)
The average asking rent for a 1-bedroom in Boston is $2,784 as of November 2026, based on October 2026 listings across Spot Easy — $60 more than the Greater Boston average of $2,724.
↻ Published November 1, 2026 · based on October 2026 listings
How much is rent in Boston?
Spot Easy's October 2026 index for Boston, against the Greater Boston average for each size: studios $2,300 (+$14), 1-bedrooms $2,784 (+$60), 2-bedrooms $3,487 (+$114), 3-bedrooms $3,915 (−$25), 4+ bedrooms $4,785 (−$445).
| Apartment size | Average rent |
|---|---|
| Studio | $2,300 |
| 1 Bedroom | $2,784 |
| 2 Bedroom | $3,487 |
| 3 Bedroom | $3,915 |
| 4+ Bedroom | $4,785 |
Is rent going up or down in Boston?
| Month | Median rent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | $2,795 | — |
| Sep 2026 | $2,650 | ↓ −$145 |
| Oct 2026 | $2,550 | ↓ −$100 |
How Boston rent compares to Greater Boston
A 1-bedroom in Boston runs $60 more than the Greater Boston average of $2,724 — about 2% above it.
| Apartment size | Boston | Greater Boston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $2,300 | $2,286 | +$14 |
| 1 Bedroom | $2,784 | $2,724 | +$60 |
| 2 Bedroom | $3,487 | $3,373 | +$114 |
| 3 Bedroom | $3,915 | $3,940 | −$25 |
| 4+ Bedroom | $4,785 | $5,230 | −$445 |
Budget toward the average. A 1-bedroom in Boston averages $2,784, while the more typical listing asks $2,550 — a handful of higher-end units pulls the average above what most listings actually ask.
Is it cheaper to rent a studio or split a 2-bedroom in Boston?
Renting a studio solo runs about $2,300. Splitting a 2-bedroom two ways works out to $1,744 per person — roughly $556/month cheaper than going solo (24% savings).
When to start your Boston apartment search
Most Greater Boston leases turn over on September 1, and Boston is no exception. Inventory builds through late spring and early summer for fall move-ins, then tightens sharply in August as students and young professionals lock in leases. If you're targeting a September 1 start, the strongest selection is usually six to eight weeks out; for other move-in dates, listings refresh year-round but the best ones move within days. Spot Easy refreshes these Boston numbers every month so you can time your search to the live market.
A 1-bedroom in Boston runs $64 less than neighboring Cambridge and $345 more than neighboring Somerville.
Nearby neighborhoods: Cambridge · Somerville · Brookline
Boston rent — frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest Greater Boston neighborhood for a 1-bedroom?
Of the 13 Greater Boston areas Spot Easy publishes, Dorchester has the lowest average asking rent for a 1-bedroom at $2,370 as of November 2026, based on October 2026 listings.
What are these Boston rent figures based on?
Every Boston listing active on Spot Easy during October 2026 — not a sample, an estimate or a modeled figure. We take the average of advertised asking rents after removing duplicate postings of the same unit and excluding anything below $500 or above $20,000 a month. A bedroom size is published only where it has at least 20 active listings in the month, so a size with thin inventory is left blank rather than shown as a number we would not stand behind.
How does Spot Easy calculate Boston rent figures?
Average asking rent adds up the advertised price of every active listing and divides by how many there are, so a handful of higher-end units pulls it above what most listings actually ask. Spot Easy takes every listing active in Boston during October 2026, removes drafts, admin-removed listings and asking rents below $500 or above $20,000, de-duplicates by address and unit, and reports the average for each bedroom size with at least 20 listings. These are asking rents, not signed-lease prices.
How we calculate this
Each month Spot Easy snapshots every active listing across Greater Boston, excludes drafts, admin-removed listings, and asking rents below $500 or above $20,000, dedupes by address + unit, and normalizes bedroom counts into Studio / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4+. We require at least 20 active listings in a cell before publishing its average; thinner cells are suppressed. Figures are average asking rents, not signed-lease prices.
Press or custom data pulls: [email protected].
These figures are free to republish with attribution to Spot Easy, under a CC BY 4.0 license.