Median home sale prices in Boston rose 3.7% January compared to the same month the prior year, ranking among the top-performing major metros in the U.S. for price growth.
Boston home price growth outpaces the US
Boston’s median home prices increased 3.7% year-over-year in January, significantly outpacing the national gain of 1.3%. This places Boston eighth among the largest 40 U.S. markets for annual price growth on a percentage basis, slightly trailing other Northeast metros such as Philadelphia and Baltimore, but strongly ahead of most markets in the Western and Sun Belt regions.
Boston's home prices increased by $25,000 in January
On a dollar basis, Boston ranks second (tied with Washington DC) among the top 40 markets, with median home prices rising $25,000 in January compared to a national increase of $4,900. Growth was driven primarily by detached homes, which rose by $10,000, while prices for attached homes and condos declined.
Boston remains one of the most expensive major markets in the country
With strong appreciation, Boston remains among the most expensive major U.S. markets. The median home sale price reached $700,000 in January, placing Boston sixth highest of the largest 40 U.S. markets, along with other Northeast markets such as New York. In addition, Boston's median price is almost the same as New York's after New York saw a 2.9% decline in sales during the same timeframe. Prices remain roughly 60% higher than in other major Northeast markets, such as Philadelphia, where median prices equaled $380,000.
For questions and commentary about this report:
Matt Giordano, Associate Director of Market Analytics at CoStar and Homes.com, based in Boston, is available for interviews to provide expert insights on this data and the broader residential real estate market.
Matt Giordano
Associate Director of Market Analytics
Homes.com
mgiordano@costar.com
Homes.com releases preliminary figures on housing trends on a monthly basis. Although these numbers may change slightly once all home sales are accounted for, they provide an early indication of home sale price appreciation in Boston during January 2026.
Definition of Sale Prices
Median home price is the midpoint sale price of homes closed during each month. This data includes homes that are detached, attached, and condominiums. Detached homes are single-family units. Attached homes are townhomes, rowhouses, and duplexes. The condominium classification includes co-ops.
For most markets, geographical coverage consists of the Census-defined Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA). Data for San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York is at the Metropolitan Division level.
About the Homes.com Market Analytics Team
The Homes.com Market Analytics group is a team of experienced analysts embedded in nearly 30 markets across North America. These experts reside in and regularly visit the markets they cover, providing local expertise and a national perspective on all sectors of real estate: residential, office, industrial, retail, and multifamily.
About Homes.com Analytics Data
The Homes.com analytic data is compiled by the CoStar Analytics team, the largest and most experienced analytics team in the real estate industry. The team consists of over 50 economists, analysts, and data scientists, who collectively have more than 900 years of real estate experience and over 30 advanced degrees. Analysts on the team live in and around the markets they cover, enabling them to build deep local knowledge and unique insights.
The data set being used by the team is one of the most comprehensive and robust in the industry. It spans all 393 metropolitan markets, 542 micropolitan markets, and over 35,000 local neighborhoods in the U.S. The data set is sourced from almost 500 Multiple Listing Service (MLS) providers around the country, as well as public record data from each market, and is supplemented by proprietary data collected by CoStar's team of over 2,000 researchers. It includes a complete inventory of all homes in the U.S., including homes for sale, homes for rent, new construction homes, as well as sale comps and rent comps.