North Shore Rent Index · October 2026
Average North Shore rent slips to $2,739 while Andover and North Andover rise over 10%
Monthly asking rents, listings and time on market across Boston's North Shore. Covers September 2026 data.
- The average asking rent across the North Shore was $2,739 in September 2026, down 0.3% from August and 1.8% from September 2025 ($2,788).
- 5,946 rentals were on the market, up 12.4% from a year ago, the highest count in 12 months.
- Listings had been on the market for 32.6 days on average, compared with 31.8 days in August and 31.9 days a year earlier.
“The average asking rent on the North Shore was $2,739 in September, down 0.3% from August and the third monthly fall in a row. There were 5,946 homes on the market, the most in 12 months and 12.4% more than last September, and listings were on the market for 32.6 days on average.”
“Andover and North Andover recorded the strongest annual growth, at 12.0% and 10.9%, followed by North Reading at 6.4%. Lawrence, Gloucester and Nahant saw the largest falls, between 13.5% and 17.1%. Two bedroom homes averaged $2,895, down 2.3% from a year ago, and three bedroom homes took the longest to rent at 43.0 days.”
“With more homes available, renters have time to compare several listings. Landlords with a vacancy should price against current comparables for their town and bedroom count from the first day. A small price adjustment in the first two weeks usually costs a landlord less than an extra month of vacancy.”
Average asking rent, September 2026
Change on the previous month and the same month last year
-1.8% vs. last year
-2.2% vs. last year
-2.2% vs. last year
-2.3% vs. last year
-2.8% vs. last year
+12.4% vs. last year
Market summary
September marks the end of the main summer rental season on the North Shore. The North Shore average asking rent fell 0.3% to $2,739 in September 2026, the third consecutive monthly fall. The average is 1.8% above the January 2026 low of $2,691 and 1.8% below the September 2025 high of $2,788.
Active listings rose 1.0% from August to 5,946, 12.4% higher than in September 2025. That is the most homes on the market in 12 months. Asking rents have stayed within 0.5% of $2,739 since April, while the number of homes on the market kept rising. Listings had been on the market for 32.6 days on average, up from 31.8 days in August and up from 31.9 days a year ago.
By size, three bedroom homes saw the largest annual fall (-2.8% to $3,275), while one bedroom homes held up best (-2.2% to $2,367). Two bedroom homes, the largest segment with 2,278 listings, averaged $2,895 (-2.3% year over year) and spent 32.0 days on the market, against 26.6 days a year ago. Three bedroom homes were the slowest to rent at 43.0 days.
Among towns with at least 10 listings, Andover, North Andover and North Reading recorded the strongest annual growth (+12.0%, +10.9%, +6.4%). The largest falls were in Lawrence, Gloucester and Nahant (-17.1%, -15.1%, -13.5%). Lawrence's fall partly reflects a change in the mix of homes listed, with listings up 27% to 293 from 230 a year ago.
Over the past 12 months, the five largest rental markets, Revere, Malden, Lynn, Everett and Chelsea, accounted for 48% of North Shore listings. Of towns with 30 or more listings, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Wakefield and Winthrop had the longest average time on market. Lawrence, Haverhill and Lynn remain the most affordable markets, with average asking rents from $2,182.
Average asking rent
All property types, North Shore, Sep 25 to Sep 26
Average asking rent by bedrooms
Studio, one, two and three bedroom homes
Active rental listings
Homes on the market each month
Time on market
Average days on market for active listings
Town by town
Where the rentals are
Average monthly active listings, Oct 25 to Sep 26, 20 largest markets
Days on market by town
Average days on market, September 2026, towns with 30 or more listings
Annual change in asking rent
Sep 26 vs Sep 25. Towns with fewer than 10 listings are excluded
All towns, September 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 | $2,740 | +0.4% | -3.5% | – | $2,418 | $2,852 | $3,383 | 44 | 47 | 30 |
| Andover | $3,165 | +4.9% | +12.0% | – | $2,415 | $2,962 | $4,246 | 185 | 167 | 32 |
| Beverly | $2,722 | -0.8% | +3.1% | $2,162 | $2,309 | $2,782 | $3,569 | 188 | 163 | 36 |
| Boxford* | – | n/a | n/a | – | – | – | – | 0 | 2 | – |
| Byfield* | $3,600 | 0.0% | +28.6% | – | – | – | – | 2 | 2 | 53 |
| Chelsea | $2,608 | -2.5% | -1.1% | $1,843 | $2,543 | $2,938 | $3,205 | 477 | 445 | 28 |
| Danvers | $2,981 | -0.7% | +5.8% | $1,583 | $2,448 | $3,104 | $4,148 | 98 | 107 | 32 |
| Essex* | $2,830 | -19.1% | +0.8% | – | – | – | – | 5 | 5 | 66 |
| Everett | $2,897 | -0.8% | +2.2% | $2,423 | $2,622 | $3,249 | $3,087 | 525 | 462 | 34 |
| Georgetown* | $2,932 | +14.7% | +32.5% | – | – | $2,967 | – | 4 | 5 | 64 |
| Gloucester | $2,895 | -2.2% | -15.1% | $1,600 | $2,037 | $2,614 | $3,479 | 108 | 84 | 42 |
| Groveland* | $2,774 | +8.3% | +13.2% | – | – | $2,400 | – | 7 | 5 | 42 |
| Hamilton* | $4,075 | +4.8% | -11.2% | – | – | – | – | 6 | 3 | 30 |
| Haverhill | $2,203 | +1.7% | -1.3% | $1,818 | $1,911 | $2,285 | $2,715 | 307 | 271 | 38 |
| Ipswich | $2,894 | -4.1% | -10.3% | – | $2,125 | $2,874 | $3,534 | 15 | 16 | 59 |
| Lawrence | $2,182 | +2.3% | -17.1% | $1,846 | $1,680 | $2,506 | $2,655 | 293 | 268 | 29 |
| Lynn | $2,297 | -0.2% | +0.2% | $1,654 | $2,118 | $2,431 | $2,915 | 642 | 526 | 34 |
| Lynnfield | $3,434 | -4.3% | -8.7% | – | $2,872 | $3,991 | – | 37 | 38 | 8 |
| Malden | $2,803 | +0.6% | -0.5% | $2,118 | $2,454 | $3,059 | $3,019 | 570 | 563 | 40 |
| Manchester-by-the-Sea | $4,788 | -4.0% | +3.1% | – | $3,034 | $4,389 | $4,483 | 31 | 25 | 53 |
| Marblehead | $3,246 | -1.0% | -8.2% | – | $2,101 | $2,873 | $4,408 | 67 | 61 | 45 |
| Melrose | $3,054 | -1.5% | -2.2% | $2,364 | $2,666 | $3,199 | $3,750 | 214 | 218 | 19 |
| Merrimac* | $2,886 | -0.7% | -2.6% | – | – | $2,928 | – | 9 | 6 | 26 |
| Methuen | $2,383 | +0.7% | +0.3% | – | $1,965 | $2,569 | $2,673 | 83 | 93 | 31 |
| Middleton* | $3,462 | +10.9% | +10.8% | – | – | – | – | 6 | 8 | 33 |
| Nahant | $2,414 | -16.1% | -13.5% | – | $2,193 | – | – | 15 | 14 | 63 |
| Newbury | $3,444 | +0.5% | -6.0% | – | – | $2,850 | $3,633 | 18 | 13 | 34 |
| Newburyport | $3,286 | +1.1% | -0.6% | – | $2,269 | $3,481 | $3,759 | 50 | 51 | 39 |
| North Andover | $2,906 | +3.1% | +10.9% | $2,076 | $2,401 | $2,784 | $3,441 | 81 | 84 | 27 |
| North Reading | $2,917 | +7.2% | +6.4% | – | $2,676 | $2,975 | – | 48 | 47 | 5 |
| Peabody | $2,764 | +0.3% | -5.0% | $1,648 | $2,514 | $2,807 | $3,600 | 219 | 198 | 16 |
| Reading | $3,047 | -0.7% | +0.6% | – | $2,205 | $3,110 | $3,687 | 41 | 34 | 41 |
| Revere | $2,845 | -1.3% | +1.2% | $2,225 | $2,570 | $3,033 | $3,367 | 657 | 595 | 29 |
| Rockport | $2,795 | -3.2% | -4.1% | – | $2,289 | $2,748 | $3,174 | 41 | 28 | 28 |
| Rowley* | $2,430 | -5.1% | -26.4% | – | – | – | – | 5 | 5 | 61 |
| Salem | $2,686 | -1.4% | -4.7% | $1,908 | $2,360 | $2,909 | $3,054 | 348 | 314 | 37 |
| Salisbury | $2,888 | +8.7% | +4.6% | $1,925 | $2,733 | $2,395 | $3,991 | 29 | 24 | 42 |
| Saugus | $2,912 | -0.4% | -0.7% | $2,349 | $2,495 | $3,117 | $3,521 | 115 | 95 | 22 |
| Stoneham | $3,166 | -0.0% | -4.1% | $1,913 | $2,960 | $3,143 | $3,340 | 76 | 80 | 27 |
| Swampscott | $3,306 | -1.8% | +3.4% | – | $2,558 | $3,065 | $4,854 | 72 | 70 | 23 |
| Topsfield* | $2,833 | +3.7% | +17.2% | – | – | – | – | 3 | 2 | 55 |
| Wakefield | $2,932 | +2.3% | -0.9% | $2,415 | $2,584 | $3,109 | $3,443 | 84 | 94 | 49 |
| Wenham* | $2,888 | +3.6% | -17.5% | – | – | $2,883 | – | 4 | 2 | 125 |
| West Newbury* | $3,525 | -15.1% | -3.4% | – | – | – | – | 4 | 2 | 27 |
| Winthrop | $2,839 | +0.8% | -1.7% | – | $2,277 | $2,820 | $3,229 | 113 | 110 | 45 |
| North Shore | $2,739 | -0.3% | -1.8% | $2,011 | $2,367 | $2,895 | $3,275 | 5,946 | 5,450 | 33 |
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About the North Shore Rent Index
The index is published monthly by Chelworths Property Management Group. The October 2026 edition covers September 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 communities in Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk counties.
Rents are average asking rents, not achieved rents. North Shore 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 how long homes take to rent. 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 October 20, 2026. © 2026 Chelworths Property Management Group.