Boston apartment rents at the start of March: slight drops, still pricey

Boston’s prime rental season is almost upon us as renewal notices go out and soon-to-graduate collegians start hunting. The latest monthly report from real estate listings site Zumper offers some insight into just how much apartments cost in the city.

To the surprise of absolutely no one who follows these things, Boston ranks third in the nation behind San Francisco and New York in the cost of renting a 1-BR apartment. See graphic above.

That $2,250 median rent for a 1-BR does represent a 1.3 percent drop from February; and the $2,600 median rent for a 2-BR was essentially flat from last month into March, rising just 0.4 percent. And! Medians for both sizes were down slightly from last March.

Some good news then, we guess, for tenants.

• Where to rent in Boston right now, mapped [Curbed Boston]