ZIP 02116
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12-month history
Last updated: October 17, 2026
What the numbers show
December. Asking rents in ZIP 02116 usually run 1.5% below trend in December and 1.3% above it in July, about $96 a month apart at today's median. Based on 11 years of data.
Rent in ZIP 02116 is 1% below its high of $3,445 in May 2026, at $3,412 as of September 2026.
Rent in ZIP 02116 changed +0.9% over the year to September 2026. Across the 140 Massachusetts ZIP codes Zillow tracks, the typical change was +3.0%.
From 2019 to 2024, rent in ZIP 02116 rose 22.6% while median household income rose 14.7% ($110,280 to $126,496). Rent outpaced income.
Rent in ZIP 02116 is 27.3% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent has fallen 2 months in a row, and rose in 7 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($126,496) is $3,162 a month. That is less than HUD's Fair Market Rent for a studio ($3,340).
16th cheapest of 25 ZIP codes in Boston.
ZIP 02113, 1 mile away, rents for 16% less ($2,868/mo), about $6,500 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for ZIP 02116. The seasonal pattern compares Zillow’s seasonally adjusted and unadjusted series. Income is the Census median household income (5-year estimates). Fair Market Rents are HUD’s, which include utilities.
Who lives here
ZIP 02116 (Boston, MA) is majority renter-occupied, skews toward younger working-age adults, has a median income above the national average, 77.5% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How ZIP 02116 in Boston, MA has changed in 5 years
Across the past five years, the going rent in ZIP 02116 in Boston, MA has shifted from $2,514 to $3,412, up 35.7% since 2021. Median household income climbed from $121,967 to $126,496 between 2021 and 2024, a 3.7% shift. Because rent grew faster than wages over the same span, the affordability picture has tightened relative to 2021. Census counts show ZIP 02116 in Boston, MA losing about 609 residents over the five-year window, down 2.7% on net. Taken together, the five-year picture in ZIP 02116 in Boston, MA reflects how housing costs and the people paying them have evolved through a stretch that included a pandemic, a hot rental market, and a recent cooling phase.
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Tips for renters in ZIP 02116
Last updated: October 17, 2026
ZIP code 02116 covers Boston, MA. The median rent here is $3,412/mo as of October 2026. A 1-bedroom rents for a median of $3,510/mo. A 2-bedroom rents for a median of $4,170/mo.
At 32% of local median household income ($126,496/yr), ZIP 02116 ranks as moderate compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 0.9% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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How does ZIP 02116 compare to the rest of Boston?
At $3,412/mo, rent takes ~32% of ZIP 02116's median household income ($126,496/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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