Boston rent by zip code: Beacon Hill and Charlestown lead a broad rise
Boston's typical rent rose 3.3% over the past year, to $3,338 a month, according to RentDataNow data for August 2026. Rent rose in 24 of the 25 zip codes in the table, and only the Grove Hall area of Dorchester (02121) slipped, down 1.3%.
Over five years the city's rent is up 29.7% since August 2021. The table runs from the most expensive zip to the least, and our guide to finding the real median rent for any zip code covers how to read these numbers.
Zip | Area | Typical rent | 1-year change |
|---|---|---|---|
Seaport, Fort Point | $4,436 | +3.3% | |
Mission Hill | $3,903 | +4.8% | |
South End | $3,879 | +4.0% | |
South Boston | $3,842 | +4.0% | |
Chinatown, Leather District | $3,836 | +6.3% | |
Waterfront, Faneuil Hall | $3,736 | +3.7% | |
Beacon Hill, West End | $3,671 | +3.4% | |
Charlestown | $3,621 | +7.4% | |
Back Bay, Bay Village | $3,470 | +3.6% | |
Dorchester (Savin Hill, Uphams Corner) | $3,287 | +1.6% | |
Roxbury | $3,282 | +3.0% | |
Fenway, Longwood | $3,272 | +5.6% | |
Dorchester (Grove Hall) | $3,209 | -1.3% | |
Jamaica Plain | $3,204 | +3.6% | |
Fenway, Kenmore | $3,191 | +3.2% | |
East Boston | $3,137 | +3.1% | |
Allston | $3,085 | +2.1% | |
Beacon Hill, Downtown | $3,081 | +7.7% | |
Roslindale | $3,047 | +2.9% | |
Dorchester (Neponset, Fields Corner) | $3,046 | +1.9% | |
Dorchester (Codman Square, Ashmont) | $3,039 | +1.2% | |
Brighton | $2,996 | +3.1% | |
North End | $2,935 | +2.9% | |
Hyde Park | $2,853 | +4.9% | |
West Roxbury | $2,842 | +4.6% |
Beacon Hill and Charlestown led
The biggest gains were in Beacon Hill and Downtown (02108), up 7.7%, and Charlestown (02129), up 7.4%, followed by Chinatown and the Leather District (02111) at 6.3%. The Seaport and Fort Point area (02210) rose 3.3% and is still the city's most expensive zip at $4,436 a month.
The student-heavy zips around Northeastern University and Boston University rose too. Fenway and Longwood (02115) was up 5.6%, Mission Hill (02120) 4.8%, and Fenway and Kenmore (02215) 3.2%. Most leases there turn over on September 1, so those zips can move more than the rest of the city from one month's data to the next.
The cheapest zips rose faster than the city
Hyde Park (02136) and West Roxbury (02132), the two cheapest zips at $2,853 and $2,842, rose 4.9% and 4.6%, both ahead of the citywide 3.3%. Dorchester, split across four zips in the table, runs from $3,039 to $3,287 and rose modestly in three of them. For towns outside the city line, see our look at New England rent beyond Boston.
Sources
RentDataNow Boston rent data, city and zip code rents anchored to the Zillow Observed Rent Index, August 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in Boston?
Boston's typical rent was $3,338 a month in August 2026, up 3.3% from a year earlier and 29.7% since August 2021. By zip code, it ranged from $2,842 in West Roxbury to $4,436 in the Seaport.
What is the cheapest zip code to rent in Boston?
West Roxbury (02132), at a typical $2,842 a month in August 2026, followed closely by Hyde Park (02136) at $2,853. Both rose faster than the city over the past year, up 4.6% and 4.9%.
Which Boston neighborhoods are rising fastest?
Beacon Hill and Downtown (02108) rose 7.7% over the year ending in August 2026, followed by Charlestown (02129) at 7.4% and Chinatown and the Leather District (02111) at 6.3%. Citywide, rent rose 3.3%.
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Henry Jo is a housing analyst covering rent data, affordability, city comparisons, and much more. He started following rental data while apartment hunting in two cities at once, and he lives in the Pacific Northwest.
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