ZIP 02120
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12-month history
Last updated: October 17, 2026
What the numbers show
September. Asking rents in ZIP 02120 usually run 3.8% below trend in September and 3.6% above it in January, about $277 a month apart at today's median. Based on 11 years of data.
Rent in ZIP 02120 is 2% below its high of $3,820 in December 2025, at $3,743 as of September 2026.
Rent in ZIP 02120 changed +1.3% 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 02120 rose 42.3% while median household income rose 67.9% ($38,300 to $64,289). Income kept ahead of rent.
Rent in ZIP 02120 is 48.3% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent rose in 5 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($64,289) is $1,607 a month. That is less than HUD's Fair Market Rent for a studio ($2,290).
20th cheapest of 25 ZIP codes in Boston.
ZIP 02115, 1 mile away, rents for 15% less ($3,185/mo), about $6,700 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for ZIP 02120. 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 02120 (Boston, MA) is majority renter-occupied, skews toward younger working-age adults, has a median income below the national average, 45.7% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How ZIP 02120 in Boston, MA has changed in 5 years
Compared with 2021, rent in ZIP 02120 in Boston, MA has climbed by $1,161 per month, settling near $3,743 after starting the period at $2,582. Median household income grew from $50,728 to $64,289 between 2021 and 2024, a 26.7% shift. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 18.3 percentage points, which means renters are spending a larger slice of each paycheck on housing than they did in 2021. Headcount in the area went from 15,082 to 15,283 between 2021 and 2024, a 1.3% change. Educational attainment has shifted as well, with the share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher climbed from 42.2% to 45.7%. Taken together, the five-year picture in ZIP 02120 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 02120
Last updated: October 17, 2026
ZIP code 02120 covers Boston, MA. The median rent here is $3,743/mo as of October 2026. A 1-bedroom rents for a median of $2,410/mo. A 2-bedroom rents for a median of $2,860/mo.
At 70% of local median household income ($64,289/yr), ZIP 02120 ranks as expensive compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 1.3% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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How does ZIP 02120 compare to the rest of Boston?
At $3,743/mo, rent takes ~70% of ZIP 02120's median household income ($64,289/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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