Median rent in Roxbury
July 2026. Active listings on Spot Easy, each posted by a verified agent or imported from MLS PIN.
| Size | Median | Middle 50% |
|---|---|---|
| 1-bedroom | $2,550 | $2,175 – $3,013 |
| 2-bedroom | $3,500 | $2,800 – $4,000 |
| 3-bedroom | $3,900 | $3,300 – $4,999 |
| 4+ bedroom | $4,800 | $3,998 – $5,800 |
About Roxbury
Roxbury sits at the geographic center of Boston, south of the South End and west of Dorchester, and it is the most affordable of the city's inner neighborhoods. The Spot Easy Rent Index put the median asking rent for a Roxbury one-bedroom at $2,550 in July 2026, against $2,700 across Boston and $2,750 across Greater Boston, with half of one-bedrooms listing between $2,175 and $3,013. Two-bedrooms ran to $3,500, three-bedrooms to $3,900 and apartments of four or more bedrooms to $4,800 — the last of those below the city figure. The index publishes no studio figure for Roxbury. That makes it the most affordable inner neighborhood in this group at every published size.
Ruggles is the key station, carrying the Orange Line together with three commuter rail lines — Franklin, Needham and Providence — about half a mile from Nubian Square. Roxbury Crossing adds a second Orange Line stop, and Massachusetts Avenue a third. Nubian Square itself is the terminus of the Silver Line, which is bus rapid transit rather than a subway line, running along Washington Street through the South End and into downtown. There is no Red or Blue Line service.
Mission Hill lies northwest and Jamaica Plain southwest. South Boston lies east, and all four are close enough that one search timetable covers them.
Housing stock is predominantly wood-frame houses. Nearly three in five Roxbury properties listed on Spot Easy with a known unit count are two- or three-family, only about one in seventeen sits in a building of ten units or more, and buildings of fifty units or more are almost absent. About one property in eight is a single-family house, which takes it out of the rental pool entirely. Where newer development exists it clusters near the Orange Line rather than spreading through the residential streets.
Lease starts follow the September 1 cycle, with inventory building from spring. Because most vacancies are whole floors, timing matters more here than in a market of managed buildings.
Spot Easy lists Roxbury apartments from verified agents, with filters for no-fee listings, parking, laundry and pet policy. Published medians by bedroom count are on the Spot Easy Rent Index.
FAQ about Roxbury Apartments for Rent
What is the average rent in Roxbury?
In July 2026 the median asking rent in Roxbury is $2,550 for a 1-bedroom, $3,500 for a 2-bedroom, $3,900 for a 3-bedroom and $4,800 for a 4+ bedroom. Those figures come from active listings on Spot Easy, and we recalculate them each month.
How much should I budget for an apartment in Roxbury?
Most 1-bedrooms in Roxbury rent for about $2,550 a month. Half of 1-bedrooms list between $2,175 and $3,013, half of 2-bedrooms list between $2,800 and $4,000 and half of 3-bedrooms list between $3,300 and $4,999. About half of what you find will sit outside that middle band, in one direction or the other.
Are rents going up in Roxbury?
The median 1-bedroom in Roxbury is $2,550 in July 2026, up 6.3% from $2,400 in July 2025. We hold 10 months of Roxbury rent history, built from our own listings.
Are there no-fee apartments in Roxbury?
Yes. 76.8% of Roxbury listings where we know the fee carry no broker fee. You can filter your search down to those, and we verify each agent before they can post.
How does Roxbury rent compare with nearby neighborhoods?
For a 1-bedroom, the median in Roxbury is $2,550, next to Mission Hill at $2,575, Dorchester at $2,500 and Jamaica Plain at $2,500. These cover the same bed size in the same month, and we only include areas with enough active listings to report.
Mission Hill apartments · Dorchester apartments · Jamaica Plain apartments
Why is Ruggles an important station for Roxbury?
Because it is the only place in the neighborhood where the Orange Line meets the commuter rail, and it meets three lines at once — Franklin, Needham and Providence — confirmed against the MBTA's own route data. That gives a Roxbury address one-seat access to a large part of the southern suburbs alongside a fast grade-separated ride into downtown, which is unusual at Roxbury's price level. Roxbury Crossing and Massachusetts Avenue add further Orange Line stops but no commuter rail. Ruggles also sits at the edge of the Longwood and Northeastern cluster, so it serves a large daily flow of people who do not live in the neighborhood. Check which side of Roxbury you are searching, because Ruggles is walkable from some parts and not from others. For anyone working in the Longwood or Northeastern cluster, that walk is short enough to remove a second leg from the commute entirely.
What is Nubian Square?
Nubian Square is Roxbury's main commercial center and the terminus of the Silver Line — which is bus rapid transit rather than a subway line, a distinction worth understanding before you rely on it. From Nubian the Silver Line runs along Washington Street through the South End and into downtown, giving a direct surface route to the center without a change. It is frequent and it has its own lanes for much of the way, but it is a bus, so it is more exposed to traffic than the Orange Line is. For most Roxbury renters the practical answer is to know both: the Silver Line from Nubian for downtown, and Ruggles or Roxbury Crossing on the Orange Line for speed and for anything further out. It is also the neighborhood's commercial focus, so an address near it trades quieter streets for everyday convenience. Journey times on it are more variable than the Orange Line's, so check both before deciding which side of the neighborhood suits you.
Is a Roxbury apartment likely to be a floor of a house?
Usually. Nearly three in five Roxbury properties listed on Spot Easy with a known unit count are two- or three-family houses, only about one in seventeen sits in a building of ten units or more, and buildings of fifty units or more are almost entirely absent. So the typical listing is a full floor of a wood-frame house with its own entrance, a porch, a basement shared with the other floors and street parking rather than a garage. About one property in eight is a single-family house, which removes it from the rental pool. Ask which floor a listing is on — it affects light, heat, stairs and noise more than the street address does, and it is rarely stated prominently. Laundry is usually a shared basement machine and parking a driveway space or a street permit rather than a deeded spot. Top floors get the best light and the most stairs; first floors are easiest to move into and closest to the street.
Why do Roxbury one-bedrooms vary so much?
Because the middle of that market is unusually wide. In July 2026 half of Roxbury one-bedrooms listed between $2,175 and $3,013 around a $2,550 median — a spread of $838 across the middle half, the widest of any neighborhood in this group. For comparison, South Boston one-bedrooms ran between $2,750 and $3,363, a spread of $613 around a higher median. The width reflects genuine variety in the housing: Roxbury covers a lot of ground and mixes older wood-frame houses in varying condition with newer development near the Orange Line. The practical lesson is that the Roxbury median tells you less than usual about what you will actually pay, so filter by condition and building type rather than trusting the headline. Viewing a range across that spread early is worth more here than in a tighter market, because the headline figure will not tell you which end you are shopping at.
How well does Roxbury connect to the Longwood area?
Well, and it is one of the neighborhood's underrated advantages. Ruggles sits at the edge of the Longwood and Northeastern cluster, so for a great many people working there the walk from Ruggles is short enough not to need a second leg. Northeastern University and Museum of Fine Arts stations on the Green Line E branch are also within reach on the neighborhood's northwestern side, running directly along Huntington Avenue into the cluster. Combined with Roxbury pricing below the city at every published bedroom count, that makes it worth comparing directly against Mission Hill, which sits closer to Longwood but costs more at every size. The comparison is worth running explicitly, because the two neighborhoods are close enough that the same commute works from either. Ruggles also carries three commuter rail lines, so a Longwood commute and a suburban one can work from the same address, which is unusual at this price.
Are there apartment buildings in Roxbury?
Some, but they are a small share of the market. Only about one in seventeen Roxbury properties listed on Spot Easy with a known unit count sits in a building of ten units or more, and buildings of fifty units or more are almost entirely absent. Nearly three in five are two- or three-family houses and roughly a quarter are in buildings of four to nine units. So elevator access, in-building laundry and on-site management exist here but are not the default, and if any of those is a firm requirement you should filter for it from the start rather than expecting to find it. Where the larger buildings do exist they tend to sit near the Orange Line stations rather than spread through the residential streets. If an elevator is essential, that clustering near the Orange Line is where to concentrate the search rather than filtering the whole neighborhood.
When should I start looking for an apartment in Roxbury?
Four to five months ahead. Roxbury follows the September 1 cycle, and because nearly three in five properties are two- or three-family houses, a vacancy usually appears as a whole floor coming free on that standard turnover rather than at an arbitrary point in the year. There are few large managed buildings whose turnover would spread across the calendar, so off-cycle listings are genuinely scarce. Inventory for September builds from early spring, and a search opening in July arrives after most of the year's supply has been seen. The larger floors — the three- and four-bedroom apartments that make Roxbury good value at those sizes — move earliest of all, so start sooner if that is what you need. Set saved searches in March or April rather than browsing in June, and be ready to view within a day or two of something suitable appearing.
How do I find no-broker-fee apartments in Roxbury?
Filter for no-fee listings on Spot Easy and confirm the terms in writing before applying. Fee arrangements are set per listing rather than per neighborhood, so two houses on the same street can differ. Treat a listing that says nothing about a fee as unconfirmed rather than fee-free — silence is missing information, not an absence. Where a fee applies it is commonly a month's rent, which against the July 2026 Roxbury one-bedroom median of $2,550 is a significant addition to move-in costs that already include first month, last month and a security deposit. Because most of the stock here is owned by small landlords rather than management companies, terms vary considerably, so ask the agent for the total due at signing. Every agent listing on Spot Easy is verified before their listings go live.
What documents do I need to rent an apartment in Roxbury?
Photo identification, recent pay stubs or an offer letter, bank statements and previous landlord references. Because a large share of Roxbury apartments are owned by small landlords rather than management companies, screening is often less formal than in a managed building — references carry more weight, and decisions are frequently made quickly and in person, so having your paperwork assembled beforehand is a genuine advantage when a floor comes up. Massachusetts law caps what may be collected at signing: first month's rent, last month's rent, a security deposit of no more than one month's rent, and the cost of a new lock. The deposit must be held in a separate interest-bearing account at a Massachusetts bank, and you are owed a receipt for it. Ask who handles repairs day to day as well, because in the two- and three-family stock that is usually the owner rather than a management office.