As of September 2026, the typical home in the Boston metro costs $725,639 and typical rent is $2,987/month — a price-to-rent ratio of 20 and a gross rental yield of 4.9%. Boston scores 32/100 on the Star Score index, ranking #174 of 174 tracked US rental markets.
The Boston metro posts a price-to-rent ratio of 20 on a typical home value of $725,639 and typical rent of $2,987/month — a gross rental yield of 4.9% before expenses. Factor scores below show how it stacks up on landlord law, taxes, growth and risk.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Typical home value (ZHVI) | $725,639 |
| Typical rent (ZORI) | $2,987/mo |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 20 |
| Gross rental yield | 4.9% |
| Star Score | 32/100 ★½☆☆☆ |
| Rank among tracked markets | #174 of 174 |
| Factor | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Gross yield | 13 | 35% |
| Entry price (vs $100K reference budget) | 0 | 15% |
| Landlord-friendliness | 40 | 15% |
| Equity growth | 54 | 15% |
| Property-tax drag (inverted) | 59 | 10% |
| Climate & insurance risk (inverted) | 80 | 10% |
More context: Living in Boston — economy, industries & affordability
See how it stacks up in the full rankings — head-to-head pages cover the top 15 markets.
Active listings our scanner flagged for under-market signals — price cuts, long days on market, below-comp pricing. Leads to underwrite, not appraisals; verify everything locally.
Run one through the BRRRR calculator. Rent figures are modeled from metro data, not appraisals.
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National rule-of-thumb renovation costs (2026, per square foot) applied to a typical ~1,400 sq ft single-family in this market — every house differs, so treat these as planning ranges, not bids:
| Scope | $/sq ft | Typical house |
|---|---|---|
| Paint & refresh (cosmetic light) | $15–25 | $21K–35K |
| Cosmetic full (floors, kitchen refresh, baths) | $25–45 | $35K–63K |
| Full renovation (systems + finishes) | $45–75 | $63K–105K |
| Gut / structural | $75–120 | $105K–168K |
Run your own numbers for Boston in the BRRRR & rehab calculator. Run a rehab crew in Boston? Founding crews list free →
Boston scores 32/100 on the Star Score index (#174 of 174 tracked markets), with a gross rental yield of 4.9% at September 2026 prices. At current prices it works better as a place to live than a place to snowball rental equity.
20 — the typical home value ($725,639) divided by a year of typical rent ($2,987/month × 12). Ratios under about 15 generally favor buying and landlording.
With a typical home at $725,639 and rent of $2,987/month (4.9% gross yield), Boston can work for BRRRR in select submarkets, but higher prices or thinner yields mean deals need bigger discounts to snowball.
Typical asking rent in the Boston metro is $2,987 per month as of September 2026, per Zillow's Observed Rent Index.