Massachusetts · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area

Buying a home in Cambridge, Massachusetts

In Cambridge, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $1,092,100, Middlesex County's effective property tax rate is 1.03%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $5,488 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $2,787 a month.

Data as of : Census ACS 2020-2024, Census Vintage 2024, HMDA 2025, HUD FY 2027. Sources

Cambridge home costs, fact by fact

About Cambridge

Cambridge lies in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, and 33.5% of its homes are owner-occupied.

Reading the Cambridge figures

Cambridge tops the Massachusetts cities named on this page by a wide margin. Owners value the median home at $1,092,100, against $626,900 for the state. Boston comes to $731,700, Quincy to $618,500 and Lynn to $510,100. Rent follows: $2,787 here, whereas Boston shows $2,147 and Springfield $1,144. Only 33.5% of households own, under Boston's 35.7%, and far under Brockton's 57.4%, so renters dominate.

Middlesex County levies 1.03% on a $727,800 median, a typical $7,501 a year; that county base sits well under the city's own value. HUD's yardstick of $3,008 for the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy region, rising to $3,584 for the larger home, is above the $2,787 city rent, though a benchmark and not a market median. Lenders recorded 10,651 loans in the county in 2025, a typical $5,488, from $4,565 to $7,213 for most. Cambridge has 121,186 residents; its metro, 11th in the country, has 5,025,517.

Calculate for Massachusetts

If you buy

Massachusetts state transfer tax

Deeds excise (G.L. c. 64D): $2.28 per $500 of price ($4.56 per $1,000) outside Barnstable County; $3.24 per $500 in Barnstable County. Change the price: the amount is recalculated instantly.

Price$626,900
State transfer tax$2,859.12
Share of the price0.46% of the price
Who paysThe seller

Default price: the Massachusetts median value of owner-occupied homes, $626,900 (Census ACS 2025). Rule: Price minus the value of any lien that stays on the property, divided by $500, rounded up to the next whole unit, times $2.28. Barnstable County uses $3.24 per unit. Applies to consideration above $100. Who pays: The tax is paid by the person who makes or signs the deed, or for whose benefit it is signed (c. 64D, section 2), which is the seller on a sale. Not included: county and city transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance and lender charges. Massachusetts transfer tax guide · all 50 states.

If you sell

Capital gain and the federal tax on it

Same federal rule in every state: Section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code excludes up to $250,000 of gain on a main home ($500,000 for a married couple filing jointly).

Capital gain$350,000
Section 121 exclusion$250,000 (limit $250,000)
Taxable gain$100,000
Type of gainLong-term (owned over 1 year), 15% chosen
Federal tax on the gain$15,000

Section 121 excludes $250,000; the rest is taxable.

Gain = sale price minus your adjusted basis (purchase price, buying costs and improvements); selling expenses reduce it (IRS Publication 523). Long-term rates for sales in 2026, by taxable income including the gain (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.03): 0% up to $49,450 single or $98,900 married filing jointly, 15% up to $545,500 single or $613,700 jointly, 20% above. Not included: Massachusetts state income tax on the gain (not computed), the net investment income tax, depreciation recapture on a rental or home office, and the reduced exclusion for an early sale. Agent commissions are negotiated and never set by law. Capital gains on a home sale.

Questions about buying a home in Cambridge

How much is property tax in Cambridge?

Homeowners in Middlesex County pay a median $7,501 a year in property tax, 1.03% of the county median home value of $727,800 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Cambridge?

Home-purchase mortgages in Middlesex County carried median total loan costs of $5,488 in 2025; half of the 10,651 loans fell between $4,565 and $7,213 (HMDA). Total loan costs are the lender and settlement-service charges of the Closing Disclosure; transfer taxes and prepaid items come on top.

Is there a transfer tax when you buy a home in Cambridge?

Massachusetts has no tax called a transfer tax but charges a deeds excise under G.L. c. 64D of $2.28 per $500 of price outside Barnstable County and $3.24 per $500 in Barnstable County. It is paid by the person who signs the deed, usually the seller.

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Cambridge?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Cambridge ($1,092,100) equals 32.7 years of the median gross rent ($2,787 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

Run your own numbers: rent vs buy calculator · closing costs calculator.

Massachusetts rules that apply in Cambridge

Other large cities in Massachusetts

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Sources

Massachusetts · All states · Federal guides