Salem
A historic harbor city with a walkable downtown and a mix of older single-families, condos, and two- and three-family homes. It's also where I went to school.
Town guides
Salem first. Every town, street by street.
A guide for every town I work in: what it's like to live there, what homes actually sell for, the tax rate, the commute, and what a home would cost you per month.
Region 01
Salem & the North Shore
Home base. I went to school in Salem and came home to the North Shore to build my business. From Salem, Beverly, and Marblehead to Lynn, Peabody, and Danvers, the North Shore mixes older housing stock, multifamily streets, and waterfront markets that each price differently.
Beverly
A coastal city of distinct neighborhoods, from downtown and the waterfront to quieter streets farther out, with commuter rail service to Boston.
Marblehead
A historic seaside town built around its harbor, with older homes set close together near the water and a single-family median above $1 million this year.
Swampscott
A small coastal town between Lynn and Marblehead with beaches, a commuter rail stop, and a mostly residential feel.
Peabody
A larger suburban city with a wide range of housing, from older neighborhoods near downtown to newer subdivisions, and quick access to Routes 1, 128, and 114.
Danvers
A suburban town mixing older colonials, mid-century homes, and condos, with quick access to Route 1, Route 114, and I-95/128.
Lynn
The North Shore's largest city, with a deep supply of two- and three-family homes and some of the region's more attainable prices.
Lynnfield
A quiet, largely single-family suburban town where the median single-family sale price is above $1 million this year.
Saugus
A practical town on Route 1 with a national historic site, a large state reservation, and single-family prices below most of its North Shore neighbors.
Gloucester
A working harbor city on Cape Ann with neighborhoods ranging from downtown and the waterfront to beaches and wooded areas.
Nahant
A tiny peninsula town reached by a causeway from Lynn, with water on nearly every side and very few homes for sale in any year.
Hamilton
A rural, horse-country town with farms, conservation land, a commuter rail station shared with Wenham, and a regional school district with Wenham.
Wenham
One of the smallest towns on the North Shore: rural, quiet, home to Gordon College, and sharing schools and a train station with Hamilton.
Ipswich
A historic town with one of the largest collections of First Period houses in the country, Crane Beach, a commuter rail station, and a municipal electric utility.
Manchester-by-the-Sea
A small, high-end coastal town with Singing Beach, a harbor village, a commuter rail station, and the highest median price of the North Shore towns I cover.
Region 02
Greater Boston
Inner-ring cities and close-in suburbs, where condos, two-families, and single-family homes compete for the same buyers and small differences in commute and condition move price.
Boston
The city itself: two dozen very different neighborhoods, the densest transit network in New England, and a market where condos far outnumber single-family homes.
Cambridge
A dense, walkable city of squares and universities, with a low residential tax rate, strong demand, and some of the highest prices in Massachusetts.
Somerville
One of the densest cities in New England, organized around lively squares, with new Green Line stations and a housing stock built largely of two- and three-family homes.
Brookline
A town that borders Boston on three sides, with Green Line access, village centers like Coolidge Corner, and some of the highest prices in the state.
Medford
A city on the Mystic River with Tufts University, the Middlesex Fells, new Green Line stations, and one of the lowest residential tax rates of the towns I cover.
Malden
A diverse, close-in city with Orange Line and commuter rail stations and a large supply of two-families, often more affordable than its neighbors.
Everett
A compact, fast-changing city just north of Boston on the Mystic River, with newer waterfront development and a lot of two-family housing.
Revere
A coastal city with America's first public beach, three Blue Line stations, and single-family prices below most of Greater Boston.
Chelsea
A small, dense city directly across the Mystic from Boston, with commuter rail, fast bus service, and a housing stock of triple-deckers and newer condos.
Melrose
A leafy, walkable suburb with a lively downtown, three commuter rail stations, Orange Line access at the Malden line, and the Middlesex Fells next door.
Wakefield
A lake town with a walkable downtown around Lake Quannapowitt, two commuter rail stops, and quick access to I-95 and I-93.
Reading
A suburban town with a walkable downtown, a commuter rail station, and easy access to I-93 and I-95.
Stoneham
A suburban town next to the Middlesex Fells and Spot Pond, with a walkable square and quick access to I-93.
Winchester
A high-end suburb with two commuter rail stations, the Mystic Lakes, a walkable town center, and one of the highest medians of the towns I cover.
Wilmington
A suburban town with two commuter rail stations, quick access to I-93, and single-family prices below many neighboring suburbs.
Region 03
Merrimack Valley
Former mill cities and the towns around them. A deep supply of two- and three-family buildings makes this region central to owner-occupant and investor strategies.
Haverhill
A Merrimack River city with a revitalized downtown, two commuter rail stations, and one of the busiest single-family markets north of Boston at a lower median price.
Lowell
A historic mill city on the Merrimack with UMass Lowell, a commuter rail station, and one of the lowest single-family medians among the towns I cover.
Lawrence
A dense mill city on the Merrimack River with a commuter rail station, one of the lowest residential tax rates in the region, and a large supply of multifamily housing.
Methuen
A large, mostly residential town north of Lawrence with I-93 and I-495 access and single-family prices below many of its neighbors.
Andover
A high-demand suburb with two commuter rail stations, a walkable downtown, Phillips Academy, and one of the higher medians in the Merrimack Valley.
North Andover
A suburban town with a historic Old Center, Lake Cochichewick, Merrimack College, and quick access to I-495 and Route 114.
Dracut
A suburban town north of Lowell with more land for the money, farms and conservation areas, and a lower single-family median.
Chelmsford
A suburban town at Route 3 and I-495 with a historic center, a rail trail, and a steady single-family market.
Tewksbury
A suburban town at I-93 and I-495 with mostly single-family homes and easy highway commuting.
Billerica
A large suburban town with a commuter rail station in North Billerica, access to Route 3, and a mix of older villages and newer neighborhoods.
Groveland
A small, quiet town on the Merrimack River near Haverhill, with larger lots and very few sales in any year.
Amesbury
A small city near the New Hampshire line with a revitalized mill downtown, easy I-95 and I-495 access, and a higher residential tax rate.
Newburyport
A historic seaport city at the mouth of the Merrimack with a walkable brick downtown, Plum Island beaches, and a commuter rail terminal.
Region 04
Central Massachusetts
Where buyers priced out closer to Boston often look next: more house and more land for the money, with commute and condition tradeoffs worth running the numbers on.
Worcester
New England's second-largest city: colleges, a growing downtown and Canal District, commuter rail to Boston, and a deep supply of triple-deckers at a far lower median than Greater Boston.
Fitchburg
A hilly former mill city with Fitchburg State University, two commuter rail stations, and one of the lowest single-family medians of the towns I cover.
Leominster
The 'Pioneer Plastics City,' a practical small city next to Fitchburg with Route 2 and I-190 access and a North Leominster commuter rail stop.
Shrewsbury
A popular suburb on Lake Quinsigamond next to Worcester, with Route 9 and I-290 access and a strong single-family market.
Westborough
A suburb at the crossroads of I-495, the Mass Pike, and Route 9, with a commuter rail station and a higher residential tax rate.
Marlborough
A small city along I-495 and Route 20 with a large employment base, a lower residential tax rate for the region, and a mix of older and newer neighborhoods.
Grafton
A town of historic villages with a commuter rail station in North Grafton, a classic town common, and larger lots southeast of Worcester.
Auburn
A compact suburb just south of Worcester at the junction of the Mass Pike, I-290, and I-395, with one of the lower medians in the region.
Holden
A suburban town north of Worcester with the Wachusett Reservoir nearby, larger lots, and a regional school district.
Gardner
The 'Chair City,' a small city in north Central Massachusetts with the lowest single-family median of the towns I cover and easy Route 2 access.
Clinton
A compact mill town next to the Wachusett Reservoir with a walkable downtown and quick access to I-190 and I-495.
Uxbridge
A Blackstone Valley town near the Rhode Island line with mill history, river parks, larger lots, and access to Route 146.
August 2026 year to date
How the North Shore compares.
Source: Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®, Local Market Update (data: MLS PIN; © ShowingTime Plus). Medians don't account for seller concessions. A town median is a starting point; the right price is street by street.