Boston rent prices up as much as 23 percent from 2022, housing agency says

BOSTON — Gaby Obando has lived with a roommate in Jamaica Plain for a year and a half. When she reupped her lease this year, she said her landlord increased her rent by $200.

“It’s only a matter of time before I get priced out of Jamaica Plain and we have to go somewhere else,” Obando said. “Or just move out of the city.”

Data from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, a regional planning agency that tracks housing trends, shows rental prices are increasing just about everywhere on all types of units, and one analyst said the prices are unstainable.

“It’s definitely not [sustainable] for anybody looking for a unit, especially a family or lower-income households having to compete,” said MAPC Interim Director of Data Services Jessie Partridge Guerrero. “Prices are higher than they’ve been with the peaks in 2019. We’re just going up and up here.”

Take a look at the average monthly prices for Boston rental units in July 2022 and July 2023, according to data from the MAPC:

Prices for studio and one-bedroom apartments are increasing at a slower rate than prices for two and three-bedroom apartments, Guerrero said. One reason for this may be more studio and one-bedroom apartments are being constructed, she said.

The MAPC also tracks rental prices in communities outside of Boston. Guerrero said Arlington and Quincy tend to be more affordable than Somerville, Cambridge and Boston.

“I would say Quincy and Arlington tend to be a little bit more moderately priced and probably Quincy most consistently,” Guerrero said. “I think there will be a [rental price] ceiling when people simply can’t afford to live here anymore, but we haven’t seen it yet.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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