Boston-area rents jump in places where it’s already really expensive to lease

Median one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartment rents were up substantially year-over-year in March in Cambridge, Brookline, and Boston, according to a recent analysis of vacant and available listings from real estate research site Zumper.

That is a significant trend as those three municipalities are already the most expensive rent-wise in the region, according to Zumper.

The good news for tenants is that rents were essentially flat in all three from February to March. But the 12-month view shows an upward trend—one that apparently shows little sign of abating.

In Cambridge, for instance, rents were up annually 5.5 percent for both one- and two-bedrooms. In Brookline, they were up 3.6 percent and 5.6 percent, respectively.

See the chart below for a sharper breakdown of where regional rents stand in April (based on March numbers).

• Boston metro report: April 2018 [Zumper]
• Cambridge, Brookline rents most expensive in the Boston region: Report [Curbed Boston]