Boston, MA Commercial Real Estate Market Trends & Data

What Are Current Commercial Real Estate Benchmarks in Boston?

Boston commercial properties are averaging $642 per square foot to buy and $37 per square foot to lease, with cap rates near 6.10% across asset types. The data below covers sale prices, lease rates, cap rates, and building sizes by property type to support early-stage market evaluation.

Explore Commercial Properties in Boston

Browse properties currently for sale or lease to see how local market pricing and building sizes translate into real opportunities.

Commercial Property For Sale in Boston

Commercial Property For Rent in Boston

Boston's Demographic Profile

Boston has 264,078 households and a median income of $84,197, providing context for rent absorption and tenant demand across retail and multifamily assets. A -5% five-year population trend is a key signal for evaluating long-term demand in this market.

Key Demographic Metrics	Value
Population	639,172
# Households	264,078
Median age	35
Median household income	$84,197
Avg household size	2
Renter-occupied housing units	182,169
5-year population change	-5%

Commercial Real Estate Market Snapshot in Boston

Use the benchmarks below to set initial underwriting baselines for Boston, typical deal size, entry costs, and cap rate ranges by asset type before evaluating individual listings.

Key Market Metrics	Value
Avg asking sale price	$642 per SF
Avg asking lease rate	$37 per SF
Avg unit size for lease	40,455 SF
Avg building size for sale	10,572 SF
Average cap rate	6.10%

The 6.10% average cap rate reflects current return expectations relative to Boston pricing and deal scale. Use this alongside asking prices and lease rates to establish initial underwriting assumptions.

Commercial Properties For Sale In Boston

The listings below reflect how current market pricing and building scale translate into active opportunities available today.

For Sale

744 E Squantum St

Quincy, MA 02171

2,875 SF Office Building
$1,900,000

For Sale

Development Opportunity

South Boston, MA 02127

1,340 SF Retail Building
$1,775,000

For Sale

6 Baldwin Place, Boston, MA 02113

Boston, MA 02113

2,400 SF Multifamily
4.79% Cap Rate
$2,525,000

For Sale

Harrison Lofts

Boston, MA 02118

5,766 SF Retail Building
$2,200,000

For Sale

Blume on the Ave

Dorchester Center, MA 02124

5,048 SF Multifamily
$199,000

For Sale

437 Columbus Ave

Boston, MA 02116

1,595 SF Retail Building
$995,000

For Sale

115-125 Jersey St

Boston, MA 02215

7,867 SF Office Building
$5,000,000

For Sale

112 Fulton St

Boston, MA 02109

2,238 SF Multifamily
$975,000

Commercial Market Metrics by Property Type

Office Building Market Metrics Near Boston

Office market metrics highlight how pricing, typical deal size, and return expectations vary across submarkets, helping investors compare entry costs and yield potential efficiently.

Nearby Office Markets	Avg Cost/SF	Typical Size	Cap Max
Boston	$602	6,071 SF	6.50%
Medford	$343	13,569 SF	6.39%

Retail Property Market Metrics Near Boston

Retail pricing varies widely across nearby markets, making this comparison useful for identifying where cost per square foot and deal size diverge most.

Nearby Retail Markets	Avg Cost/SF	Typical Size
Boston	$716	7,051 SF
Cambridge	$680	5,060 SF
Somerville	$567	5,201 SF
Malden	$364	24,038 SF
Weymouth	$413	2,963 SF

Multifamily Property Market Metrics Near Boston

Multifamily metrics show how pricing and building size relate to observed cap rate ranges, helping investors evaluate income potential relative to entry cost.

Nearby Multifamily Markets	Avg Cost/SF	Typical Size	Cap Max
Boston	$677	10,292 SF	7.88%
South Boston	$628	5,385 SF	6.53%
Cambridge	$716	32,888 SF	5.04%
Somerville	$623	31,461 SF	5.01%
Lynn	$427	19,536 SF	6.49%

How Investors Evaluate Commercial Real Estate Markets in Boston

Use these tools to move from market-level signals to deal-level math. Each calculator helps translate Boston pricing, rents, and building size into concrete metrics like value, income, and space requirements, so you can validate assumptions before spending time on individual listings.

Commercial Property Valuation

Understand Core Valuation Methods, Prevent Mistakes, and Use Our Instant Value Estimator

What Is a Cap Rate?

How To Calculate This Critical CRE Investment Metric and Why It Matters

Net Operating Income (NOI) Calculator

Calculating NOI and Understanding the Significance of This Metric in Commercial Real Estate Investment

Internal Rate of Return (IRR) Calculator

Use this calculator to measure annualized returns, compare investment scenarios, and evaluate risk across commercial real estate deals.

Cash on Cash Return

Learn How Cash on Cash Return Can Optimize Your Real Estate Investments

Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR) Calculator

Assess Your Investment's Health in Seconds

Gross Rent Multiplier (GRM) Calculator & Investment Guide

Simplifying Your Investment Analysis

Land Loan Calculator

Use this calculator to estimate monthly payments, interest, and total financing costs for raw, unimproved, or improved land purchases.

Balloon Payment Calculator

Use this calculator to estimate monthly payments, total interest, and the final lump-sum balloon payment for commercial real estate loans.

Office Space Calculator

Estimate How Much Space Your Team Really Needs

Nearby Commercial Markets

Comparing nearby markets helps investors see whether Boston pricing and building scale sit above, below, or in line with surrounding areas.

Commercial Markets	Avg Cost/SF	Average Size
Boston	$642	10,572 SF
South Boston	$656	4,860 SF
Dorchester	$656	14,102 SF
Jamaica Plain	$813	9,334 SF
Mattapan	$366	4,662 SF

Multifamily For Sale In Boston

Multifamily listings shown here connect market pricing and cap rate patterns with income-producing opportunities currently available.

For Sale

Artist Building at 300 Summer Street

Boston, MA 02210

70,618 SF Multifamily
$800,000

For Sale

230 Commonwealth

Boston, MA 02116

4,251 SF Multifamily
$10,995,000

For Sale

197 Green St

Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

20,480 SF Multifamily
6.19% Cap Rate
$11,175,000

For Sale

The Vendome

Boston, MA 02116

139,017 SF Multifamily
$3,200,000

For Sale

42 Chauncy St

Boston, MA 02111

32,000 SF Multifamily
$696,800

For Sale

3-Family in Desirable South Boston Location

Boston, MA 02127

2,736 SF Multifamily
$995,000

For Sale

454-464 Hanover St

Boston, MA 02113

26,190 SF Multifamily
$1,600,000

For Sale

46 High St

Charlestown, MA 02129

18,000 SF Multifamily
$5,799,900

Regional Demographic Comparison

This comparison places Boston alongside nearby cities to show how population size, household counts, and income levels differ across the region. Viewing these markets side by side helps investors understand whether local demand and income characteristics are concentrated in Boston or distributed across surrounding areas.

City	Population	# Households	Age	MedianHouseholdIncome	AvgHouseholdSize	RenterOccupiedHousingUnits	FiveYrPopGrowthPct
Boston	639,172	264,078	35	$84,197	2	182,169	-5%
South Boston	36,103	16,867	35	$136,031	2	10,493	-5%
Dorchester	124,098	44,926	37	$61,489	3	30,713	-7%
Jamaica Plain	34,557	14,778	38	$107,530	2	8,471	-6%
Mattapan	26,996	9,524	42	$67,300	3	5,447	-3%

FAQs About Commercial Investing in Boston

View All Commercial Real Estate For Sale in Boston

Is Boston a good market for a first-time commercial real estate investor?

Boston offers commercial properties across a wide range of sizes and price points. By reviewing the market data and benchmarks on this page, first-time investors can better understand what a typical commercial property looks like before committing capital and narrowing in on specific listings.

How can this market data help me decide whether to buy commercial property for my business in Boston?

The pricing and size metrics on this page help business owners compare the cost of ownership against leasing in Boston. Typical building sizes and asking prices provide a starting point for evaluating space needs, budget fit, and long term occupancy costs before engaging lenders or brokers.

What should conservative investors focus on when evaluating commercial properties in Boston?

Conservative investors often prioritize manageable deal sizes, stable pricing ranges, and cap rate benchmarks shown for Boston. These metrics help assess whether current market conditions support steady income potential without relying on aggressive assumptions.

How does Boston compare to nearby commercial real estate markets?

Nearby market comparisons highlight differences in pricing, building scale, and cap rate ranges relative to Boston. Reviewing these side by side helps experienced investors identify relative value, pricing premiums, or alternative markets that may better align with return targets.

How can this page support early-stage deal screening for Boston acquisitions?

This page provides high-level benchmarks for pricing, deal size, and observed cap rates in Boston, which are useful for initial market filtering. Institutional and data-driven investors often use these signals to prioritize listings that meet size, pricing, and return thresholds before deeper underwriting.

Nearby Cities

Commercial Market Reports