Boston has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Boston without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Boston: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$133,953 median income · $908,131 median home price
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Melrose is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Boston area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Melrose.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $133,953 a year, which is the 2nd highest in the Boston region. And only 3.7% are out of work. Homes average more than $908,131 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$190,304 median income · $1,528,894 median home price
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Newton is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Boston for 2026.
It ranks 1st for incomes in the area and only 1.2% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$132,572 median income · $940,239 median home price
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Here in Somerville, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Boston metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Somerville.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$130,748 median income · $1,041,569 median home price
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Cambridge ranks as the 4th best suburb of Boston for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Cambridge and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$129,540 median income · $842,298 median home price
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Coming in as the fifth best is Medford.
Medford gets kudos for having the 5th most expensive homes in the Boston area, where houses sell for an average of $842,298. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$120,216 median income · $826,437 median home price
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Waltham is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 3.7%.
According to online reports, Waltham is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Boston area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$106,044 median income · $755,767 median home price
Located in
Essex County, Massachusetts
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Beverly.
Beverly schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 18.0 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$111,185 median income · $758,603 median home price
Located in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Woburn is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 1.6% of people lack insurance, good for 3rd in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$96,657 median income · $694,094 median home price
Located in
Essex County, Massachusetts
Is ‘Everything Better In Peabody?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$99,671 median income · $374,890 median home price
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Watertown.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Massachusetts’s statewide median.
Massachusetts statewide median: $103,960
Massachusetts statewide median: $656,690
Massachusetts statewide median: 5.2%
On the map
Where the best Boston suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Boston for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Boston was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Boston.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 4,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 24 suburbs to evaluate around Boston.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 24 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Boston.” We’re lookin’ at you, Melrose.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Boston suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Boston Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melrose | 4.14 | 29,650 | $133,953 | $908,131 |
| 2 | Newton | 4.21 | 89,044 | $190,304 | $1,528,894 |
| 3 | Somerville | 4.71 | 81,036 | $132,572 | $940,239 |
| 4 | Cambridge | 5.07 | 118,796 | $130,748 | $1,041,569 |
| 5 | Medford | 7.07 | 59,354 | $129,540 | $842,298 |
| 6 | Waltham | 8.57 | 64,902 | $120,216 | $826,437 |
| 7 | Beverly | 8.71 | 42,665 | $106,044 | $755,767 |
| 8 | Woburn | 9.93 | 41,939 | $111,185 | $758,603 |
| 9 | Peabody | 10.00 | 54,695 | $96,657 | $694,094 |
| 10 | Watertown | 11.36 | 4,790 | $99,671 | $374,890 |
| 11 | Malden | 12.57 | 65,906 | $100,606 | $684,055 |
| 12 | Gloucester | 13.07 | 30,075 | $83,883 | $760,558 |
| 13 | Quincy | 13.57 | 102,114 | $98,882 | $675,959 |
| 14 | Salem | 13.57 | 44,795 | $85,153 | $606,559 |
| 15 | Marlborough | 15.43 | 41,647 | $91,968 | $578,934 |
| 16 | Revere | 15.93 | 60,012 | $86,969 | $612,971 |
| 17 | Lynn | 16.14 | 101,709 | $75,043 | $580,316 |
| 18 | Southfield | 16.14 | 76,236 | $68,166 | $250,952 |
| 19 | Everett | 16.14 | 50,045 | $85,218 | $639,070 |
| 20 | Lowell | 17.71 | 118,368 | $78,658 | $480,319 |
| 21 | Taunton | 18.14 | 60,433 | $79,283 | $513,322 |
| 22 | Chelsea | 18.14 | 39,908 | $72,179 | $526,190 |
| 23 | Brockton | 19.50 | 105,386 | $80,115 | $503,833 |
| 24 | Lawrence | 20.14 | 88,736 | $60,433 | $504,150 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 24 suburbs within 30 miles of Boston.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Boston ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Boston are Melrose, Newton, Somerville, Cambridge, Medford, Waltham, Beverly, Woburn, Peabody, and Watertown.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Boston but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on Massachusetts? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Boston FAQs
What is the best suburb of Boston?
Melrose is the best suburb of Boston for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Newton and Somerville are next.
What are the best suburbs of Boston?
The best suburbs of Boston are Melrose, Newton, Somerville, Cambridge, Medford, Waltham, Beverly, Woburn, Peabody, and Watertown. We ranked all 24 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Melrose?
The median household income in Melrose is $133,953 and the median home costs $908,131. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Boston?
Any place within 30 miles of Boston qualifies. 24 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Boston suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Melrose, takes the crown.
