North Shore Rent Index · May 2026
April brings the strongest monthly rent rise in a year
Monthly asking rents, supply and time on market across 45 towns and cities on Boston's North Shore. Covers April 2026 data.
- The average asking rent across the Chelworths service area was $2,730 in April 2026, up 0.8% on the month and down 1.9% on April 2025 ($2,783).
- 5,594 rentals were on the market, up 27.6% on a year ago, the highest count in the 13 months tracked.
- Homes took an average of 32.6 days to let, compared with 34.1 days in March and 30.9 days a year earlier.
“April was the strongest month for rents since last summer, with the average up 0.8% to $2,730. That's a third monthly rise in a row, and the gap to last year has narrowed to 1.9%.”
“There were 5,594 homes on the market, the most in the last 13 months, and homes took 32.6 days to let. Studio rents are now 0.5% higher than a year ago.”
“The summer letting season is close. Landlords with a lease ending in June, July or August should confirm their plans with tenants now, so there's time to market the home properly if it's coming up for rent.”
Average asking rent, April 2026
Change on the previous month and the same month last year
-1.9% on year
+0.5% on year
-0.6% on year
-1.6% on year
-1.2% on year
+27.6% on year
Market summary
Demand typically builds through the spring ahead of the summer moving season. The service area average asking rent rose 0.8% to $2,730 in April 2026, the third consecutive monthly rise. The average is 1.4% above the January 2026 low of $2,691 and 3.0% below the August 2025 high of $2,814. Compared with April 2025, rents are down 1.9%.
Active listings rose 3.4% on the month to 5,594, 27.6% higher than in April 2025. That is the most homes on the market in the 13 months tracked. Homes took 32.6 days to let on average, down from 34.1 days in March, and slower than a year ago (30.9 days).
By size, two bedroom homes saw the largest annual fall (-1.6% to $2,906), while studios recorded the strongest growth (+0.5% to $2,023). One bedroom homes, the largest segment with 2,116 listings, averaged $2,376 (-0.6% on the year) and took 27.5 days to let, against 25.4 days a year ago. Three bedroom homes were the slowest to let at 43.7 days.
Among towns with at least 10 listings, Nahant, Ipswich and North Reading recorded the strongest annual growth (+32.5%, +20.3%, +5.9%). The largest falls were in Gloucester, Swampscott and Rockport (-10.6%, -8.7%, -8.6%).
The five largest rental markets, Revere, Malden, Everett, Chelsea and Lynn, account for 48% of listings in the service area. Of towns with 30 or more listings, homes let fastest in North Reading, Lynnfield and Melrose (7, 12, 20 days) and slowest in Winthrop, Rockport and Newburyport. Haverhill, Lawrence and Lynn remain the most affordable markets, with average asking rents from $2,176.
Average asking rent
All property types, service area, Apr 25 to Apr 26
Average asking rent by bedrooms
Studio, one, two and three bedroom homes
Active rental listings
Homes on the market each month
Time to let
Average days on market for active listings
Town by town
Where the rentals are
Average monthly active listings, May 25 to Apr 26, 20 largest markets
Days on market by town
Average days on market, April 2026, towns with 30 or more listings
Annual change in asking rent
Apr 26 vs Apr 25. Towns with fewer than 10 listings are excluded
All towns, April 2026
Average asking rent, change, rent by bedrooms, listings and days on market. * fewer than 10 listings, treat with caution. Bedroom rents with fewer than 3 listings are not shown.
| Town | Avg rent | Month | Year | Studio | 1 bed | 2 bed | 3 bed | Listings | 12-mo avg listings | Days on market |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amesbury | $2,852 | -3.4% | +1.1% | – | $2,545 | $2,947 | – | 44 | 39 | 22 |
| Andover | $2,720 | +0.2% | -7.5% | – | $2,341 | $2,806 | $4,110 | 155 | 161 | 26 |
| Beverly | $2,754 | +5.0% | -2.5% | $1,910 | $2,344 | $2,813 | $3,584 | 170 | 150 | 35 |
| Boxford* | $7,500 | 0.0% | +150.0% | – | – | – | – | 1 | 2 | 99 |
| Byfield* | $3,600 | 0.0% | n/a | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 37 |
| Chelsea | $2,676 | +0.5% | -1.6% | $1,940 | $2,625 | $3,045 | $3,160 | 422 | 448 | 29 |
| Danvers | $2,834 | -1.6% | -1.3% | $1,745 | $2,367 | $2,891 | $3,827 | 97 | 109 | 25 |
| Essex* | $2,594 | -0.0% | +5.9% | – | – | – | – | 4 | 4 | 32 |
| Everett | $2,921 | +3.7% | +2.4% | $2,463 | $2,642 | $3,085 | $3,425 | 444 | 485 | 33 |
| Georgetown* | $2,360 | -18.9% | +18.0% | – | – | $2,198 | – | 4 | 4 | 114 |
| Gloucester | $2,967 | +1.0% | -10.6% | – | $2,201 | $2,527 | $3,741 | 79 | 74 | 43 |
| Groveland* | $4,048 | -26.4% | +23.9% | – | – | – | – | 2 | 3 | 26 |
| Hamilton* | $3,167 | +24.2% | -42.4% | – | – | – | – | 3 | 4 | 61 |
| Haverhill | $2,176 | -1.3% | -6.5% | $1,847 | $1,899 | $2,333 | $2,644 | 280 | 240 | 36 |
| Ipswich | $3,103 | +1.7% | +20.3% | – | $2,025 | $2,936 | $4,300 | 18 | 17 | 48 |
| Lawrence | $2,260 | +1.6% | -6.6% | $1,807 | $1,864 | $2,458 | $2,714 | 278 | 234 | 26 |
| Lynn | $2,366 | -0.1% | +3.3% | $1,706 | $2,105 | $2,541 | $3,065 | 527 | 445 | 40 |
| Lynnfield | $3,426 | -1.7% | -5.2% | – | $2,970 | $3,768 | – | 41 | 34 | 12 |
| Malden | $2,691 | +0.4% | -0.2% | $2,114 | $2,379 | $2,949 | $3,223 | 643 | 543 | 30 |
| Manchester-by-the-Sea | $5,605 | +1.8% | +3.1% | – | $3,250 | $3,762 | $6,610 | 21 | 23 | 68 |
| Marblehead | $3,201 | +0.4% | -6.9% | $1,763 | $2,457 | $3,239 | $4,821 | 66 | 60 | 48 |
| Melrose | $2,918 | +1.2% | -4.0% | $2,074 | $2,564 | $3,254 | $3,286 | 245 | 206 | 20 |
| Merrimac* | $2,715 | +2.3% | -4.7% | – | – | $3,208 | – | 5 | 5 | 39 |
| Methuen | $2,410 | -1.9% | -6.2% | $1,417 | $2,022 | $2,466 | $2,827 | 100 | 92 | 33 |
| Middleton* | $3,421 | +1.9% | -5.0% | – | – | $3,421 | – | 7 | 6 | 58 |
| Nahant | $3,915 | +19.7% | +32.5% | – | $2,117 | – | $4,150 | 10 | 13 | 66 |
| Newbury* | $3,034 | +9.7% | +19.0% | – | – | – | $3,295 | 8 | 13 | 69 |
| Newburyport | $3,271 | -4.8% | +4.1% | – | $2,637 | $3,515 | $4,382 | 59 | 46 | 53 |
| North Andover | $2,797 | +6.8% | -7.4% | $2,195 | $2,377 | $2,719 | $3,163 | 105 | 63 | 33 |
| North Reading | $2,833 | -2.6% | +5.9% | – | $2,406 | $2,855 | – | 50 | 48 | 7 |
| Peabody | $2,736 | +0.0% | -5.5% | $1,675 | $2,417 | $2,877 | $3,253 | 202 | 189 | 25 |
| Reading | $2,954 | -5.8% | +5.2% | $1,775 | $2,004 | $2,949 | $4,441 | 40 | 31 | 33 |
| Revere | $2,882 | +1.3% | +3.2% | $2,278 | $2,526 | $3,170 | $3,419 | 615 | 556 | 25 |
| Rockport | $3,131 | -6.8% | -8.6% | – | $2,388 | $3,336 | $3,600 | 30 | 30 | 58 |
| Rowley* | $2,100 | +10.5% | +5.0% | – | – | $2,100 | – | 3 | 4 | 31 |
| Salem | $2,708 | +1.1% | -5.5% | $1,962 | $2,255 | $2,929 | $3,178 | 332 | 298 | 41 |
| Salisbury | $2,693 | +9.1% | +3.1% | – | $2,341 | $2,469 | $3,218 | 20 | 20 | 47 |
| Saugus | $2,822 | +0.9% | -2.7% | $2,140 | $2,480 | $3,023 | $3,348 | 100 | 82 | 29 |
| Stoneham | $3,277 | -1.6% | -1.3% | $1,912 | $2,733 | $3,364 | $3,759 | 80 | 77 | 38 |
| Swampscott | $2,997 | -3.3% | -8.7% | – | $2,627 | $2,934 | $5,204 | 70 | 71 | 27 |
| Topsfield* | $4,744 | +179.1% | +179.1% | – | – | – | – | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| Wakefield | $2,884 | -0.5% | -7.5% | $2,456 | $2,344 | $3,098 | $3,644 | 109 | 92 | 36 |
| Wenham* | $2,900 | 0.0% | -0.9% | – | – | – | – | 1 | 2 | 186 |
| West Newbury* | – | n/a | n/a | – | – | – | – | 0 | 2 | – |
| Winthrop | $2,644 | +0.5% | -6.3% | $1,808 | $2,302 | $2,723 | $3,193 | 101 | 104 | 64 |
| Service area | $2,730 | +0.8% | -1.9% | $2,023 | $2,376 | $2,906 | $3,357 | 5,594 | 5,131 | 33 |
What should your property rent for?
Get a free rental evaluation based on current North Shore comparables.
About the North Shore Rent Index
The index is published monthly by Chelworths Property Management Group. The May 2026 edition covers April 2026 data and compares it with the previous 12 months. Figures are based on active residential rental listings from RentCast across 52 ZIP codes in 45 towns and cities in Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk counties.
Rents are average asking rents, not achieved rents. Service area and town figures are listing-weighted averages across each ZIP code, so larger markets carry more weight. Studio figures are zero bedroom listings. Days on market is the average number of days active listings had been on the market, used here as a measure of time to let. Towns with fewer than 10 active listings are marked * and excluded from town rankings, as small samples can move sharply month to month. Monthly figures may be revised as the source data updates. RentCast did not report studios separately before March 2025 and its listing coverage was lower from December 2024 to February 2025, so annual comparisons that rely on those months are not shown.
This report is general market information and not an appraisal of any individual property. Data retrieved September 16, 2026. © 2026 Chelworths Property Management Group.