Acton vs Concord
On schools these two are genuinely close — same tier and within five MCAS percentiles of each other — so the schools should not decide it. Price and commute should.
Concord is about 7 minutes closer to downtown Boston at peak. Over a decade of commuting that gap is worth more than most people price it at.
On tax, look past the rate: Acton works out roughly $10,700 a year cheaper on its own median 4BR — despite having the higher rate of the two, because the bill follows the house.
Choose Acton if you want the lower price.
All Acton numbers →Choose Concord if the commute matters most.
All Concord numbers →Side by side
The better of the two is highlighted on each row. Where a row is not highlighted, the two are close enough that calling a winner would be false precision.
| Acton | Concord | |
|---|---|---|
| School tier | top schoolsT1 | top schoolsT1 |
| MCAS percentile | 92nd | 95th |
| Niche district rank | 17th of 236 | — |
| 4BR house | $1.1MT3 | $2.2MT4 |
| 2BR condo | $590k | $1.03M |
| Commute to Boston | 54 minT3 | 47 minT3 |
| MBTA rail | Commuter rail · ~58 min to terminal | Commuter rail · ~49 min to terminal |
| Tax rate | $16.23T4 | $13.00T3 |
| Est. tax bill on that 4BR | ≈$17,900 | ≈$28,600 |
| 3BR rent | $3,493/mo | $3,613/mo |
Prices are estimates calibrated to the Zillow Home Value Index and Redfin; tax rates are FY2026 residential rates and the bill applies that rate to the town’s own median 4BR estimate; commutes take the rail leg from the MBTA timetable and still model the drive; rents are HUD FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rents. School tiers are editorial and shown next to the state’s own MCAS figures. Data last reviewed — see the methodology. This comparison never uses demographics as an input.
