Boston, MA Commercial Real Estate Market Trends & Data

What Are Current Commercial Real Estate Benchmarks in Boston?

Boston commercial properties are averaging $620 per square foot to buy and $37 per square foot to lease, with cap rates near 6.12% 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.

 

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 $620 per SF
Avg asking lease rate $37 per SF
Avg unit size for lease 40,545 SF
Avg building size for sale 11,281 SF
Average cap rate 6.12%

The 6.12% 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

6 Baldwin Place, Boston, MA 02113

Boston, MA 02113

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

384 Warren Street

Roxbury, MA 02119

  • 30,500 SF Retail Building
  • 7.50% Cap Rate
  • $8,114,330
For Sale

130 Myrtle

Boston, MA 02114

  • 6,500 SF Multifamily
  • 4.37% Cap Rate
  • $6,850,000
For Sale

8% CAP | Boston Mix-Use Investment

Hyde Park, MA 02136

  • 10,850 SF Flex Building
  • 8.05% Cap Rate
  • $3,300,000
For Sale

120 Dolphin Ave. Revere, Massachusetts

Revere, MA 02151

  • 4,180 SF Multifamily
  • 6.00% Cap Rate
  • $1,945,000
For Sale

140-142 Meridian Street, East Boston MA 02128

Boston, MA 02128

  • 6,730 SF Multifamily
  • 4.57% Cap Rate
  • $2,400,000
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

 

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 $543 7,304 SF 6.50%
Medford $329 13,710 SF 6.39%

Industrial Property Market Metrics Near Boston

Industrial market data shows how cost per square foot and typical building size differ by submarket, supporting comparisons around deal scale and pricing alignment.

Nearby Industrial Markets Avg Cost/SF Typical Size Cap Max
Boston $339 24,912 SF 8.05%
Hyde Park $284 22,894 SF 8.05%
Newton $394 7,003 SF 7.00%

 

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 $660 7,211 SF
Cambridge $680 5,060 SF
Brighton $642 4,504 SF
Somerville $590 4,751 SF
Everett $477 14,510 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 $631 10,930 SF 8.20%
Cambridge $699 31,161 SF 5.26%
Somerville $606 28,745 SF 6.79%

 

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.

 

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 $620 11,281 SF
South Boston $571 4,180 SF
Roxbury $668 16,241 SF
Dorchester $671 14,614 SF
Dorchester Center $272 732 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

130 Myrtle

Boston, MA 02114

  • 6,500 SF Multifamily
  • 4.37% Cap Rate
  • $6,850,000
For Sale

251 Shawmut Ave

Boston, MA 02118

  • 6,708 SF Multifamily
  • $1,500,000
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
  • 6.30% Cap Rate
  • $10,975,000
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

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%
Roxbury 74,706 30,372 35 $55,483 2 23,494 -4%
Dorchester 124,098 44,926 37 $61,489 3 30,713 -7%

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.