Rental market data · 2024 Census estimates

Boston, MA-NH rental yield and cash flow

In the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro, the median owner-occupied home was valued at $681,100 and the median gross rent was $2,093 a month in 2024. That is a gross rent yield of 3.69%, rank 88 of the 100 largest metros we track.

$681,100Median home value (±$4,127)

$2,093Median gross rent / mo (±$27)

3.69%Gross rent yield

27.1Price-to-rent ratio

1.01%Median taxes ÷ median value

39%Renter-occupied homes

0.31%Monthly rent ÷ price (1% rule)

5.03MMetro population

Does the median home cash flow at today's rate?

We priced a hypothetical rental at the metro medians: $681,100 purchase, $2,093 rent, 25% down, a 30-year loan at 7.28% (Freddie Mac's 30-year average for the week of October 1, 2026), $6,913 in annual property taxes, insurance at 0.5% of price, and 5% vacancy, 10% repairs and 8% management.

At these assumptions the median-priced home runs about $2,743 a month short of covering its costs (DSCR 0.22). Rent would need to reach about $5,656, 170% above the median, to break even, or the price would need to be near $151,587 for a 1.25 DSCR. Net operating income is about $9,020 a year, a 1.32% cap rate, against $41,942 of annual debt service.

Investment-property loans usually price above the owner-occupant average this survey reports, and your insurance quote, tax bill and rent will differ from a metro median. Change any input below.

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How Boston compares

Metros with the nearest gross yields among the 100 we track. * Cash flow uses the same assumptions as above.

Rank	Metro	Median value	Median rent	Gross yield	Price-to-rent	Cash flow / mo*
85	Sacramento, CA	$605,500	$1,904	3.77%	26.5	-$2,276
86	Denver, CO	$631,000	$1,943	3.70%	27.1	-$2,287
87	Bridgeport, CT	$615,800	$1,895	3.69%	27.1	-$2,710
88	Boston, MA-NH	$681,100	$2,093	3.69%	27.1	-$2,743
89	Portland, OR-WA	$584,800	$1,767	3.63%	27.6	-$2,291
90	Providence, RI-MA	$471,000	$1,396	3.56%	28.1	-$1,950
91	Salt Lake City, UT	$575,200	$1,659	3.46%	28.9	-$2,158

What these numbers leave out

Census gross rent includes utilities when the tenant pays them, so it can overstate what a landlord collects. Median value describes owner-occupied homes, not the rental stock, and a metro median hides wide neighborhood differences. Treat this page as a screen, then underwrite the specific property.

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B25064 (median gross rent)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B25077 (median value, owner-occupied housing units)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B25103 (median real estate taxes paid)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B25003 (housing tenure)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B01003 (total population)
Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (30-year fixed average, week of October 1, 2026)

Data snapshot October 7, 2026. Methodology: all metros.