ZIP 02139
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12-month history
Last updated: October 17, 2026
What the numbers show
December. Asking rents in ZIP 02139 usually run 3.5% below trend in December and 2.9% above it in June, about $216 a month apart at today's median. Based on 11 years of data.
Rent in ZIP 02139 is at its highest level since Zillow's records here began in January 2015.
Rent in ZIP 02139 changed +3.5% 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 02139 rose 23% while median household income rose 28.1% ($105,061 to $134,586). Income kept ahead of rent.
Rent in ZIP 02139 is 26% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent rose in 8 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($134,586) is $3,365 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a studio ($3,210); a 1-bedroom is $3,370.
3rd cheapest of 5 ZIP codes in Cambridge.
ZIP 02134, 1 mile away, rents for 13% less ($2,934/mo), about $5,300 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for ZIP 02139. 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 02139 (Cambridge, MA) is majority renter-occupied, skews toward younger working-age adults, has a median income above the national average, 79.5% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How ZIP 02139 in Cambridge, MA has changed in 5 years
The median rent in ZIP 02139 in Cambridge, MA stood at $2,485 in 2021 and currently runs about $3,379, reflecting a 36.0% increase over the period. Median household income rose from $113,374 to $134,586 between 2021 and 2024, a 18.7% shift. That spread, with rent up faster than earnings, points to a tougher affordability environment than five years ago. Renters now make up 67.8% of households, compared with 65.7% five years ago. College-educated residents now make up 79.5% of adults here, versus 77.2% in 2021. Taken together, the five-year picture in ZIP 02139 in Cambridge, 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 02139
Last updated: October 17, 2026
ZIP code 02139 covers Cambridge, MA. The median rent here is $3,379/mo as of October 2026. A 1-bedroom rents for a median of $3,370/mo. A 2-bedroom rents for a median of $4,000/mo.
At 30% of local median household income ($134,586/yr), ZIP 02139 ranks as moderate compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 3.5% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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How does ZIP 02139 compare to the rest of Cambridge?
At $3,379/mo, rent takes ~30% of ZIP 02139's median household income ($134,586/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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