Salem & the North Shore · Town guide
A small coastal town between Lynn and Marblehead with beaches, a commuter rail stop, and a mostly residential feel.
Swampscott market · August 2026 year to date
| Measure | Single-family | Condo |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $862,875 | $510,000 |
| Change vs. last year | ▼ 2.9% | ▲ 6.2% |
| Sales closed | 72 | 40 |
| Median days on market | 41 | 41 |
| Sale price vs. original list | 99.9% | 97.7% |
| For sale at month end | 20 | 11 |
| Months of supply | 2.4 | 2.3 |
Source: Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®, Swampscott Local Market Update (PDF, opens in a new tab) (MLS PIN data). Year-to-date figures except homes for sale and months of supply, which are for the latest month. A town median is a starting point; the right price is street by street.
Side by side · August 2026 year to date
| Town | Median single-family | Median condo | Days on market | Tax rate (FY2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swampscott | $862,875 ▼ 2.9% | $510,000 | 41 | $12.00 |
| Lynn | $580,000 ▼ 3.3% | $385,500 | 37 | $10.30 |
| Nahant | $991,500 ▲ 16.6% | $770,000 | 77 | $8.99 |
| Salem | $720,000 ▼ 0.7% | $510,000 | 34 | $10.78 |
| Marblehead | $1,135,000 ▲ 13.1% | $635,000 | 32 | $8.56 |
| Peabody | $720,000 ▲ 2.9% | $469,900 | 28 | $9.47 |
Year-to-date medians from each town's MAR Local Market Update; tax rates per $1,000 from the Mass. Division of Local Services. Nearby = closest town centers among the towns I cover.
Town guide
Swampscott is small, coastal, and close to Boston by North Shore standards. The shoreline is a run of beaches, the town has its own commuter rail station, and Lynn and Salem put more shopping and services within a short drive.
It appeals to buyers who want the ocean and a train in the same town, and who don't need Marblehead's price tag.
A quick orientation, not a ranking:
| Area | What it's like | Worth a look if you want |
|---|---|---|
| Near the beaches | Streets close to King's, Fisherman's, and Phillips beaches | Walking to the water |
| Olmsted district | Historic subdivision laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted's firm | Architecture and a planned-neighborhood feel |
| Inland neighborhoods | Residential streets away from the shore toward the Salem line | More house for the money |
| Near the station | Streets within walking distance of the commuter rail | A car-light Boston commute |
Swampscott is mostly single-family, with older colonials, Victorians, and capes, plus condos near the water and some two-families. True oceanfront homes command a steep premium; a few streets back, prices come down noticeably.
It's a small market, so the right house may only come up a few times a year.
Swampscott has an MBTA commuter rail station on the Newburyport/Rockport Line into North Station, and it's one of the closer North Shore towns to Boston by car via Route 1A. Check the MBTA's current schedule for times.
For public school information, see the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's school and district profiles (Swampscott Public Schools).
Yes. Swampscott has an MBTA commuter rail station on the Newburyport/Rockport Line into North Station.
Yes, at the median. Through August 2026, Swampscott's median single-family price was well below Marblehead's. See my Marblehead vs. Swampscott comparison.
Monthly cost calculator
Pre-filled with Swampscott's median single-family price and its FY2026 tax rate. Change anything. This is an estimate for planning, not a loan quote.
How I help in Swampscott
What homes here actually sell for, what they cost to own, and an offer strategy you can defend.
Buying with XavierA price grounded in Swampscott sales, a plan for what to fix, and a clear read on every offer.
Get a home valuationTwo- and three-families run as numbers: rents, expenses, financing, and condition.
Multifamily & investingThe median single-family sale price in Swampscott was $862,875 for August 2026 year to date, compared with $888,500 for the same period a year earlier. The median condo sold for $510,000. Source: Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MLS PIN data).
Single-family homes that sold in Swampscott during August 2026 year to date spent a median of about 41 days on market and sold for 99.9% of their original list price on average, according to MAR.
Swampscott's FY2026 residential property tax rate is $12.00 per $1,000 of assessed value (Massachusetts Division of Local Services). On a home assessed at the median single-family sale price, that's roughly $10,350 a year; your actual bill depends on the assessed value.
Yes. MBTA service in Swampscott: commuter rail: Swampscott (Newburyport/Rockport Line). Check the MBTA's current schedules for times.
Neighbors on the same stretch of coast, with a $272,000 gap in median single-family price through August 2026. How Marblehead and Swampscott compare on price, commute, and daily life.
MLS listings
Active and coming-soon listings in Swampscott, through my Ruuster home search. Save a search to hear about new ones as they come on.
Search provided by Ruuster via HomeBase. Open the full Swampscott search in a new tab (opens in a new tab). Listing information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Buying or selling here?
Tell me what you're weighing: a street, a price range, a timeline. I'll send the recent sales that matter and what I'd watch for in Swampscott specifically.
Sources: market figures, Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®, Local Market Update (data: MLS PIN; © ShowingTime Plus); tax rate, Massachusetts Division of Local Services, Municipal Databank, Tax Rates by Class; population, U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 population estimates for cities and towns; stations, MBTA (V3 API); distance, OpenStreetMap Nominatim (town center); miles are straight-line to Boston City Hall. Numbers retrieved 2026-09-25.
Let's talk
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