Boston among summer’s hottest rental markets

Boston’s rental market is in for a sizzling summer, according to a new report from Zillow that named the metro one of the hottest rental markets of summer 2026.

Beantown ranked No. 7, just behind Chicago. Providence, Rhode Island, New York and San Francisco took the top three spots.

The city saw 2.5% annual rent growth last year with a forecasted vacancy rate of just 6.3% for the upcoming year, compared to 7.3% nationally.

Experts point out that lagging supply drove Boston’s spot on the list.

“In Zillow’s hottest rental markets, the math is simple: More people want to live there than there are homes to rent — whether for access to amenities, strong job markets or family ties, renters are competing over a limited supply,” said Kara Ng, senior economist at Zillow®. “The U.S. built more new units in 2024 than any year in the past half-century, but that boom largely bypassed the Northeast and coastal California, which is exactly why rental competition there is so intense. Markets that missed out on the list aren’t necessarily lacking demand; they just did a better job bringing new supply online.”

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Greater Boston named New England’s hottest rental market

Renters can’t get enough of Beantown, and apartments were quickly snapped off the greater Boston market throughout 2025. The metro claimed the title of hottest New England rental market in RentCafe’s year-end rental competitiveness roundup.

Using data from Yardi Systems, RentCafe ranked 139 rental markets in the U.S. based on metrics like occupancy rate and share of new apartments built. Besides the No. 1 spot in New England, Boston placed No. 11 nationwide.

Demand so outpaced supply in greater Boston that the metro experienced a 95% occupancy rate in 2025. Apartments spent an average of 38 days on the market, and 11 renters competed for every vacant unit. Meanwhile, new apartment construction ticked up by just 2%.

Boston renters are not moving

Once Boston renters secure a home, they are unlikely to leave. The city’s lease renewal rate grew 2.6% during 2025 to 64%.

Boston was the only market in the northeastern region in 2025 to become more competitive (up 1.5%), according to RentCafe’s Rental Competitiveness Index. Boston’s RCI score sits at 81.5 compared to the national average of 75.2.

Boston apartment rentals and the bottom line

“Across New England, renters saw shifting conditions this year — with Boston turning up the heat and nearby markets showing signs of relief after last year’s intense competition,” said RentCafe research analyst Veronica Grecu.

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Updated: Boston Real Estate Blog 2025