Massachusetts rent guide
The Cheapest Cities to Rent in Massachusetts (July 2026)
Data as of Jun 9, 2026 · 731 rentals across 87 Massachusetts cities
Massachusetts really splits in two: the pricey core of Greater Boston (Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline, Newton), and everywhere else, which runs far cheaper. The deep value is in the central and western cities (Worcester, Springfield, Chicopee) and the southeast coast (New Bedford, Fall River). We track every apartment we can find and rank the cities below by their typical rent, straight from live listings.
The lowest typical rent right now is in Hartford (about $1,488/mo), while Brookline sits at the top ($3,600/mo). For most renters the big call is core-metro vs the rest of the state; the bedroom count you need takes it from there.
Massachusetts cities by typical rent, cheapest first
| # | City | Typical | From | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hartford | $1,488 | $1,300 | 8 |
| 2 | Lowell | $1,850 | $1,499 | 18 |
| 3 | Haverhill | $1,875 | $1,807 | 5 |
| 4 | Worcester | $1,895 | $950 | 38 |
| 5 | Fall River | $1,900 | $1,000 | 13 |
| 6 | New Bedford | $1,925 | $1,100 | 7 |
| 7 | Framingham | $2,093 | $1,725 | 8 |
| 8 | Lawrence | $2,165 | $1,795 | 6 |
| 9 | Chelmsford | $2,310 | $1,629 | 6 |
| 10 | Chelsea | $2,313 | $1,775 | 8 |
| 11 | Woburn | $2,325 | $2,026 | 7 |
| 12 | Malden | $2,359 | $1,800 | 11 |
| 13 | Quincy | $2,366 | $1,200 | 28 |
| 14 | Marlborough | $2,399 | $2,200 | 7 |
| 15 | Revere | $2,474 | $1,585 | 7 |
| 16 | Brockton | $2,500 | $1,865 | 5 |
| 17 | Waltham | $2,558 | $2,150 | 8 |
| 18 | Salem | $2,560 | $2,325 | 9 |
| 19 | Beverly | $2,598 | $2,289 | 10 |
| 20 | Amherst | $2,998 | $1,975 | 6 |
| 21 | Medford | $3,018 | $2,200 | 10 |
| 22 | Watertown | $3,073 | $2,200 | 7 |
| 23 | Boston | $3,095 | $1,525 | 275 |
| 24 | Cambridge | $3,127 | $2,431 | 38 |
| 25 | Somerville | $3,148 | $1,380 | 34 |
| 26 | Newton | $3,300 | $2,095 | 10 |
| 27 | Brookline | $3,600 | $1,780 | 43 |
How we rank them
“Typical” is the median rent across everything we track in a city, so half the listings are cheaper and half pricier. “From” is the single cheapest unit listed right now. We include cities with at least five live listings and exclude single rooms and senior housing. Small-city medians can swing on a few listings, so the bigger markets are the most stable. Refreshes when our data does (last updated Jun 9, 2026).
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest city to rent in Massachusetts?
By typical (median) rent it's Hartford, around $1,488/mo, then Lowell and Haverhill. The best value sits in Worcester, Springfield and the southeast coast, well away from Greater Boston. The ranking rebuilds from live listings, so it moves with the market.
Where is rent most expensive in Massachusetts?
Brookline tops the list at about $3,600/mo. The priciest rents in the state are Greater Boston (Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline, Newton), where higher salaries and newer housing push rents well above everywhere else.
How do I find the cheapest rent in Massachusetts?
Start in the value markets in the table below, filter to the bedroom count you actually need, and sort by price. The single cheapest unit in a city (the "from" price) is often hundreds below the median, so the building matters as much as the city.
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