Boston - MA vs Cincinnati - OH: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

Boston - MA is roughly 137% more expensive than Cincinnati - OH in typical home value. Cincinnati - OH sees more listings with price cuts (32.7% vs 23.7%), a sign of softening seller expectations.

Boston vs Cincinnati: what the numbers say

At today's 7.40% average 30-year rate with 20% down, the typical home would cost about $4,019 a month in principal and interest in Boston and $1,695 in Cincinnati, a gap of $2,325 a month.

Typical rent runs $2,987 in Boston and $1,522 in Cincinnati, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.3 times rent in Boston and 1.1 times rent in Cincinnati, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 20.2 years of rent in Boston and 16.8 in Cincinnati; the lower ratio in Cincinnati means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

Over the last 23 months typical values moved +3.0% in Boston and +5.0% in Cincinnati; over just the last three months the change was +0.6% in Boston and +0.3% in Cincinnati.

Homes sell for 101.3% of list price in Boston and 99.1% in Cincinnati, after 14 and 11 days on the market, with price cuts on 24% and 33% of listings. The signs are mixed: Boston has longer time on the market, while Cincinnati has more price cuts and sales further below list.

The number of homes for sale is up 14% on a year ago in Boston and up 8% on a year ago in Cincinnati.

Payments assume a 30-year fixed loan at the Freddie Mac weekly average rate (2026-10-15), 20% down, principal and interest only. Home values, rents and market figures are Zillow Research metro data.