What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has the most affordable homes ($732k median).

Cambridge has the most expensive homes ($1092k median).

Cambridge is a college town. 25.1% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Boston	Cambridge
People
Population	666,442Highest	118,796Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+12.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	33.3±0.2Highest 17% below MA	30.4±0.4Lowest 24% below MA
Kids under 18	15.1%±0.3Highest MA: 19.4%	12.4%±0.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	13%±0.3Highest MA: 17.9%	12.2%±0.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Boston and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	80.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	25.1%±1Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kLowest 6% below MA	$130,748±$4kHighest 26% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kLowest 30% above MA	$1,092,100±$42kHighest 94% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Lowest 22% above MA	$2,787±$48Highest 58% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Lowest 26% below MA	$4,802Highest 20% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Highest MA: 51.8%	45%±2.3Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	16.6%Highest MA: 10%	12.8%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	33.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA	1950Highest 14 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 4% above MA	26 minLowest 11% below MA
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	30.8%±1.5Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 282 in MA	#122 of 282 in MA
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Cambridge
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Cambridge Rindge and Latin
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	9.3Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.