High-cost suburbs
High housing costs, large lots, upscale commercial districts and extensively maintained public spaces. This is where Tier 1 districts and $1M-plus houses cluster.
We put 40 Massachusetts places in this group. 15 have top-tier schools. Longmeadow is the most affordable at roughly $600k for a 4BR, and Winchester is closest to downtown Boston at about 31 minutes.
Every high-cost suburbs town
Sorted by school tier, then commute. Each links through to its full page. The archetype is an editorial read on character, drawn from the vibe model — see the methodology.
| # | Town | Schools | 4BR house | Commute | Tax rate | Est. bill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winchester | top schools · Niche 8thT1 | $1.85MT4 | 31 minT2 | $11.08T2 | ≈$20,500 |
| 2 | Needham | top schools · Niche 12thT1 | $1.85MT4 | 38 minT2 | $10.83T2 | ≈$20,000 |
| 3 | Weston | top schools · Niche 2ndT1 | $2.9MT4 | 41 minT2 | $11.50T2 | ≈$33,400 |
| 4 | Dover | top schools · Niche 5thT1 | $2MT4 | 44 minT2 | $12.00T2 | ≈$24,000 |
| 5 | Wayland | top schools · Niche 9thT1 | $1.6MT4 | 46 minT3 | $15.50T4 | ≈$24,800 |
| 6 | Medfield | top schools · Niche 23rdT1 | $1.35MT3 | 47 minT3 | $15.00T4 | ≈$20,300 |
| 7 | Sherborn | top schools · Niche 5thT1 | $1.5MT4 | 47 minT3 | $15.50T4 | ≈$23,300 |
| 8 | Carlisle | top schoolsT1 | $1.5MT4 | 49 minT3 | $14.50T3 | ≈$21,800 |
| 9 | Sudbury | top schoolsT1 | $1.7MT4 | 50 minT3 | $14.50T3 | ≈$24,700 |
| 10 | Acton | top schools · Niche 17thT1 | $1.1MT3 | 54 minT3 | $16.23T4 | ≈$17,900 |
| 11 | Southborough | top schoolsT1 | $1.25MT3 | 58 minT3 | $14.00T3 | ≈$17,500 |
| 12 | Westford | top schools · Niche 11thT1 | $1.1MT3 | 60 minT3 | $13.47T3 | ≈$14,800 |
| 13 | Boxborough | top schools · Niche 17thT1 | $950kT3 | 60 minT3 | $15.50T4 | ≈$14,700 |
| 14 | Hopkinton | top schools · Niche 4thT1 | $1.25MT3 | 62 minT4 | $14.50T3 | ≈$18,100 |
| 15 | Westborough | top schools · Niche 13thT1 | $950kT3 | 66 minT4 | $15.93T4 | ≈$15,100 |
| 16 | Lynnfield | strong schools · Niche 25thT2 | $1.2MT3 | 39 minT2 | $11.50T2 | ≈$13,800 |
| 17 | Reading | strong schools · Niche 53rdT2 | $975kT3 | 41 minT2 | $10.96T2 | ≈$10,700 |
| 18 | Westwood | strong schools · Niche 14thT2 | $1.4MT4 | 41 minT2 | $12.50T3 | ≈$17,500 |
| 19 | Bedford | strong schools · Niche 18thT2 | $1.15MT3 | 42 minT2 | $12.00T2 | ≈$13,800 |
| 20 | North Reading | strong schools · Niche 27thT2 | $950kT3 | 44 minT2 | $13.50T3 | ≈$12,800 |
| 21 | Natick | strong schools · Niche 22ndT2 | $1MT3 | 46 minT3 | $12.17T2 | ≈$12,200 |
| 22 | Hingham | strong schools · Niche 29thT2 | $1.65MT4 | 47 minT3 | $10.47T2 | ≈$17,300 |
| 23 | Sharon | strong schools · Niche 7thT2 | $950kT3 | 47 minT3 | $17.50T4 | ≈$16,600 |
| 24 | Norwell | strong schools · Niche 32ndT2 | $1.2MT3 | 47 minT3 | $14.50T3 | ≈$17,400 |
| 25 | Cohasset | strong schools · Niche 47thT2 | $1.6MT4 | 48 minT3 | $12.00T2 | ≈$19,200 |
| 26 | Hanover | strong schools · Niche 81stT2 | $950kT3 | 50 minT3 | $13.00T3 | ≈$12,400 |
| 27 | Wenham | strong schools · Niche 62ndT2 | $950kT3 | 54 minT3 | $16.50T4 | ≈$15,700 |
| 28 | North Andover | strong schools · Niche 56thT2 | $875kT2 | 55 minT3 | $11.24T2 | ≈$9,800 |
| 29 | Holliston | strong schools · Niche 46thT2 | $900kT3 | 55 minT3 | $14.50T3 | ≈$13,100 |
| 30 | Stow | strong schools · Niche 49thT2 | $950kT3 | 57 minT3 | $16.50T4 | ≈$15,700 |
| 31 | Wrentham | strong schools · Niche 75thT2 | $900kT3 | 63 minT4 | $12.50T3 | ≈$11,300 |
| 32 | Duxbury | strong schools · Niche 20thT2 | $1.4MT4 | 63 minT4 | $12.50T3 | ≈$17,500 |
| 33 | Shrewsbury | strong schools · Niche 16thT2 | $850kT2 | 72 minT4 | $11.50T2 | ≈$9,800 |
| 34 | Longmeadow | strong schools · Niche 30thT2 | $600kT2 | 120 minT4 | $20.50T4 | ≈$12,300 |
| 35 | Canton | solid schools · Niche 52ndT3 | $825kT2 | 41 minT2 | $9.75T1 | ≈$8,000 |
| 36 | Wilmington | solid schools · Niche 90thT3 | $775kT2 | 44 minT2 | $11.41T2 | ≈$8,800 |
| 37 | Walpole | solid schools · Niche 68thT3 | $875kT2 | 49 minT3 | $12.45T2 | ≈$10,900 |
| 38 | Easton | solid schools · Niche 42ndT3 | $825kT2 | 55 minT3 | $12.59T3 | ≈$10,400 |
| 39 | Ashland | solid schools · Niche 38thT3 | $850kT2 | 55 minT3 | $13.50T3 | ≈$11,500 |
| 40 | Marshfield | solid schools · Niche 61stT3 | $825kT2 | 64 minT4 | $9.61T1 | ≈$7,900 |
Prices and tax bills are estimates; commutes are modeled, with rail legs from the MBTA timetable; school tiers are editorial and shown next to the state’s MCAS figures on each town page. Archetypes never use demographics — they describe the place, not the people. Data last reviewed .
