We'll be drilling down into what you actually get for these median monthly rents in particular neighborhoods, but for now feast your weary, wary eyes on what it costs to rent an apartment in different parts of the Hub and how much those costs have increased since last fall (spoiler alert: a lot). Courtesy of our pals at Zillow and based on September rents in neighborhoods that the site tracks.
The 10 Priciest Neighborhoods
Downtown Boston
$3,136
+5.4 percent from September 2011
Beacon Hill
$2,859
+12.1
West Cambridge
$2,813
+5.3
North End
$2,647
+6.2
Charlestown
$2,618
+6.2
Aggasiz
$2,602
+10.4
East Cambridge
$2,581
+6.2
Cambridgeport
$2,568
+9.2
Riverside (Cambridge waterfront)
$2,497
+9.3
West End
$2,491
+14.4
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The 10 Cheapest Neighborhoods
Wellington-Harrington (around Inman Square)
$2,419
+8.7 percent
Mid-Cambridge
$2,341
+6.8
West Roxbury
$2,322
+10.9
Roslindale
$2,270
+16.2
Kenmore
$2,161
+15.3
Hyde Park
$2,144
+9.3
Allston
$2,123
+18.2
North Dorchester
$2,066
+17.08
East Boston
$1,950
+13.2
Brighton
$1,812
+6.9
Do keep in mind that these are median rents and not average rents. Medians are generally a better measure as they are not hostage to the odd big (or paltry) deal that can skew averages. Also keep in mind that these medians come from September, at the tail end of the Hub's busy renting season, when the college kids arrive and the newly minted young professionals move in. So they are going to be higher than you would find, say, during the winter months; but they are reflective of the Hub apartment market right now, given the duration of leases.
Your best hope as a tenant might be to time-travel ahead a couple of years, when there will be a lot more apartments to choose from. Barring that, best of luck.
· Our Latest Rental Heatmap: the Hub's New Apartment Buildings [Curbed Boston]
· Our Renters Week 2012 archive [Curbed Boston]
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