5 Greater Boston Towns Compared: Prices, Taxes, Schools

Buyers comparing towns west and south of Boston often end up weighing the same five: Newton, Needham, Waltham, Lexington and Quincy. They're very different places. Two of them cost less than half as much as the other three, and property taxes, schools and transit vary more than most people expect.

Below is each town side by side, using the latest public data: the Warren Group for 2025 home prices, state data for schools and property taxes, and the MBTA for transit. Sources are at the bottom.

The quick picture

• Lowest prices: Quincy (2025 median single-family price about $706,000) and Waltham (about $850,000).
• Lowest average tax bill: Waltham (about $5,200), though see the note on Waltham below.
• Best transit into Boston: Quincy (Red Line) and Newton (Green Line D branch plus commuter rail).
• Highest graduation rates: Lexington (98.2%) and Needham (97.9%).

Newton

• 2025 median single-family price: $1,825,000 (525 sales)
• Average single-family tax bill (FY2026): $17,077 (residential rate $9.69 per $1,000)
• 4-year graduation rate (2025): 95.5%
• Transit: Green Line D branch (Riverside to Chestnut Hill, seven stops in Newton) and Framingham/Worcester commuter rail at Auburndale, West Newton and Newtonville; the Mass Pike (I-90) and Route 128 both run through the city

Newton is a collection of thirteen villages, so the feel and price vary a lot from Waban to Newtonville. It has the most transit options of the five, which matters if you commute into Boston or Cambridge.

Needham

• 2025 median single-family price: $1,684,000
• Average single-family tax bill (FY2026): $16,690 (rate $10.83)
• 4-year graduation rate (2025): 97.9%
• Transit: Needham Line commuter rail (Needham Heights, Needham Center, Needham Junction, Hersey) into Back Bay and South Station; Route 128 along the western edge

Needham is a smaller town with a very high graduation rate and an easy Route 128 commute to the tech and biotech corridor.

Waltham

• 2025 median single-family price: $850,000
• Average single-family tax bill (FY2026): $5,189 (rate $10.32). That average is based on an assessed value (about $503,000) far below recent sale prices, so estimate your own bill from the rate instead.
• 4-year graduation rate (2025): 74.5% (the state average is 89.3%)
• Transit: Fitchburg Line commuter rail (Waltham Center and Brandeis/Roberts); Route 128 and Route 20

Waltham is the most practical choice of the five if you work along Route 128. It costs much less than Newton next door, and Moody Street gives it a real downtown with one of the area's best restaurant strips. Its graduation rate is below the state average, so visit the schools and ask how they're doing for students like yours.

Lexington

• 2025 median single-family price: $1,790,000
• Average single-family tax bill (FY2026): $20,394 (rate $12.31), the highest of the five
• 4-year graduation rate (2025): 98.2%, the highest of the five
• Transit: no subway or commuter rail stop in town; most people drive via Route 128 or Route 2

Lexington has the highest graduation rate of the five. The trade-off is cost: it also has the highest tax bills, and you'll want a car.

Quincy

• 2025 median single-family price: $706,250
• Average single-family tax bill (FY2026): $8,250 (rate $11.78)
• 4-year graduation rate (2025): 93.9%
• Transit: Red Line at North Quincy, Wollaston, Quincy Center and Quincy Adams, plus commuter rail at Quincy Center; I-93 into Boston

Quincy is the value pick: the lowest prices of the five and a Red Line ride into downtown. Housing stock is older, so budget for updates.

How to choose

• Budget under about $800,000 for a single-family home: start with Quincy, and look at Waltham's lower-priced neighborhoods. Condos widen your options in all five.
• Commute into Boston or Cambridge every day: Quincy and Newton have the best transit.
• Commute along Route 128: Waltham, Needham and Lexington.
• Graduation rates and school data matter most: compare Lexington and Needham, then look at the specific schools for any address.
• Want more house for the money: towns farther west such as Shrewsbury, Westborough and Acton have their own town guides.

Before you decide

1. Visit your top two or three towns on a weekday and a weekend.
2. Tour the specific schools your address would be assigned to; district averages hide a lot.
3. Drive or ride your actual commute at rush hour.
4. Estimate your property tax: purchase price ÷ 1,000 × the town's rate.
5. Get pre-approved first. If you're on a visa, read our immigrant home buying guide for what's changed in 2026.

If you'd like help comparing neighborhoods within these towns, book a free call and I'll walk you through what's actually selling in your price range.

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Sources: Warren Group, 2025 single-family year-to-date median sale prices; Massachusetts DESE, 2025 4-year cohort graduation rates; Massachusetts Division of Local Services, FY2026 average single-family tax bills and residential tax rates; MBTA station data.