Boston · Suffolk County
Boston neighborhoods
Boston is not one market. Pricing, housing stock and inventory differ sharply between neighbourhoods, so a citywide figure describes nowhere in particular. Every one of these is taxed by the City of Boston, which means the residential exemption applies the same way across all of them — what changes is the transit, the housing stock and what your money buys.
Ask which of these fitsAll eighteen, with what makes each one different
- Back Bay A Victorian grid laid out on filled land in the nineteenth century, which is why the streets run alphabetically and the buildings are unusually uniform. Most of what trades here is a floor or two of a brownstone rather than a whole building. Green Line B, C, D and E branches · Orange Line at Back Bay · Commuter Rail at Back Bay
- Beacon Hill The most tightly regulated housing stock in the city. The Beacon Hill Architectural Commission reviews exterior changes down to door hardware and window glass, which protects the streetscape and constrains what an owner may do. Red Line at Charles/MGH · Green Line at Park Street · Blue Line at Bowdoin
- South End The largest intact Victorian rowhouse district in the country, and the part of central Boston where a residential street can still feel residential. It is also a landmark district, so exterior changes are reviewed. Orange Line at Back Bay and Massachusetts Avenue · Silver Line · MBTA bus
- South Boston Two markets sharing a name. The waterfront and the streets nearest it have turned over almost completely to new construction; the interior streets remain triple-deckers and long-held family homes, and price behaviour differs sharply between them. Red Line at Broadway and Andrew · Silver Line to the waterfront · MBTA bus
- Seaport The newest housing stock in Boston by a wide margin, built on former parking and port land within roughly the last fifteen years. That means amenities and elevators as standard, and almost no pre-war inventory at all. Silver Line · Red Line at South Station · Commuter Rail at South Station
- Charlestown Physically separate from the rest of the city, bounded by water on three sides, which gives it an unusually contained feel for somewhere a mile from downtown. The Navy Yard is effectively its own sub-market of converted and purpose-built waterfront housing. Orange Line at Sullivan Square and Community College · MBTA bus · Ferry to Long Wharf
- North End The oldest residential neighbourhood in Boston and the densest, on a street pattern that predates cars entirely. Buildings are narrow, old, and frequently walk-up — which is the defining practical fact of owning here. Green and Orange Lines at Haymarket and North Station · Commuter Rail at North Station
- Jamaica Plain The greenest part of the city, wrapped around Jamaica Pond and the Arboretum, with a housing stock that ranges from Victorian singles to triple-deckers within a few streets of each other. That variety is unusual inside Boston. Orange Line at Green Street, Stony Brook, Jackson Square and Forest Hills · Commuter Rail at Forest Hills · MBTA bus
- Dorchester By far the largest neighbourhood in Boston and the least accurately described as one thing. Ashmont, Savin Hill, Jones Hill, Neponset and Uphams Corner behave as separate markets, and a figure quoted for Dorchester as a whole describes none of them. Red Line Ashmont branch · Mattapan Trolley · Commuter Rail at Uphams Corner and Four Corners · MBTA bus
- East Boston Separated from the rest of the city by the harbour and reached by tunnel, which historically kept prices below comparable distances elsewhere. The Blue Line puts it minutes from downtown, and the waterfront has seen sustained new construction. Blue Line at Maverick, Airport, Wood Island and Orient Heights · MBTA bus · Ferry
- Roslindale One of the few parts of Boston where a detached single-family home with a yard is a normal thing to buy rather than an exception. Roslindale Village functions as a genuine town centre. Commuter Rail at Roslindale Village · Orange Line at Forest Hills · MBTA bus
- West Roxbury The most suburban part of Boston — detached houses, driveways, garages and lawns, on a street pattern that looks like the towns beyond it rather than the city it belongs to. Commuter Rail at West Roxbury, Highland and Bellevue · MBTA bus
- Hyde Park The furthest neighbourhood from downtown and the last annexed, which shows in the housing: larger lots, more detached houses, and prices that reflect the distance rather than the city limits. Commuter Rail at Hyde Park, Fairmount and Readville · MBTA bus
- Roxbury Geographically central — closer to downtown than much of the city — with a housing stock that ranges from grand Victorians around Fort Hill to dense multifamily nearer Dudley. Sustained development along the Orange Line corridor has changed parts of it considerably. Orange Line at Roxbury Crossing, Jackson Square and Ruggles · Silver Line · Commuter Rail at Ruggles · MBTA bus
- Mission Hill Wrapped around the Longwood Medical Area, which makes it unusually driven by hospital and university employment rather than by commuting downtown. That keeps demand steady and rental yield reliable. Green Line E branch · Orange Line at Roxbury Crossing · MBTA bus
- Fenway Almost entirely apartment and condominium living, wrapped around the ballpark, the Emerald Necklace and several universities. It has more purpose-built rental stock than almost anywhere else in the city, which shapes what is available to buy. Green Line B, C and D branches · Orange Line at Ruggles · Commuter Rail at Yawkey · MBTA bus
- Mattapan The lowest entry point of any Boston neighbourhood for a detached or two-family house, served by the Mattapan Trolley — a distinctive light-rail connection to the Red Line at Ashmont. Mattapan Trolley to Ashmont · Red Line at Ashmont · Commuter Rail at Blue Hill Avenue · MBTA bus
- Downtown Boston The most transit-connected address in New England — every subway line meets within a few blocks — and a housing stock made largely of converted office and commercial buildings rather than purpose-built homes. Red, Orange, Green and Blue Lines · Silver Line · Commuter Rail at South Station and North Station
Not sure which part of the city suits you?
Send where you need to commute to, your budget and whether you want a yard or a walk to dinner. That usually narrows eighteen down to three.