How much do households in the Boston, MA area spend on rent?
Updated annually
About $1,940, or 34.1% of their income, in 2019–2023. This is measured by comparing median, or average, rent and median monthly income for renting households.
$1.94K
median monthly rent in Boston, MA area (2019–2023)
34.1%
average share of income spent on rent in Boston, MA area (2019–2023)
Comparing rent to renter income provides one measure of rental affordability. The Boston, MA area (Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area)’s median rent was about $1,940 per month in 2019–2023. Typical monthly income among renting households was about $5,686 per month during that same period.
A typical household spent about $1,940 on rent in the Boston, MA area.
Median gross rent and median renter household income, 2019–2023
Dividing rent by income provides what is called a rent-to-income ratio. A higher ratio of rent-to-income indicates rent is less affordable while a lower ratio indicates greater affordability.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development considers households with a rent-to-income ratio of more than 30%, that is, households that spend more than 30% their income on housing, to be cost-burdened. Cost-burdened households may have less money for other necessities such as food, healthcare, or savings. When median monthly rent is more than 30% of median monthly income, it means a typical household would meet the definition of housing cost-burdened.
Do households in the Boston, MA area spend more or less on rent than other Massachusetts metros?
The Boston, MA area’s rent-to-income ratio ranked 4 out of 7 Massachusetts metros.
Ratio of median gross rent to median renter household income, 2019–2023
Compared to other metro areas in the state, the Boston, MA area had the highest median rent and highest median renter-household income. (Metro areas are made up of economically interconnected counties that include at least one urban area. A single metro area can include multiple cities and cross state lines.) Out of the seven metros in the state, the Boston, MA area’s rent-to-income ratio ranked fourth highest.
Do households in the Boston, MA area spend more or less on rent than other large metros?
The large metro median rent-to-income ratio was 31.5%.
Ratio of median gross rent to median renter household income, 2019–2023
The Boston, MA area is a large metro, which have over 1 million people. Compared to other large metros, the Boston, MA area’s rent-to income ratio is higher than is typical. The average among large metros was 31.5% in 2019–2023, 3 percentage points lower than in the Boston, MA area.
Renter income and rent, large metro areas (2019–2023)
| 1. | San Jose, CA area | $9,880 |
| 2. | New York, NY area | $5,374 |
| 3. | Portland, OR area | $5,233 |
| 4. | Sacramento, CA area | $5,104 |
| 5. | Salt Lake City, UT area | $5,081 |
| 6. | Phoenix, AZ area | $4,991 |
| 7. | Riverside, CA area | $4,987 |
| 8. | Dallas, TX area | $4,974 |
| 9. | Raleigh, NC area | $4,885 |
| 10. | Baltimore, MD area | $4,745 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
