Bourne vs Wareham
You are paying about $125k more for a 4BR in Bourne, and in exchange you get the stronger schools. That is the trade in plain terms: $125k for one tier of schooling.
Wareham is about 5 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: Wareham works out roughly $500 a year cheaper on its own median 4BR — despite having the higher rate of the two, because the bill follows the house.
Choose Bourne if you want the stronger schools of the two.
All Bourne numbers →Choose Wareham if you want the lower price, or the commute matters most.
All Wareham 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.
| Bourne | Wareham | |
|---|---|---|
| School tier | solid schoolsT3 | mixed schoolsT4 |
| MCAS percentile | 27th | 24th |
| Niche district rank | — | — |
| 4BR house | $650kT2 | $525kT1 |
| 2BR condo | $370k | $290k |
| Commute to Boston | 88 minT4 | 83 minT4 |
| MBTA rail | No MBTA rail | No MBTA rail |
| Tax rate | $7.65T1 | $8.56T1 |
| Est. tax bill on that 4BR | ≈$5,000 | ≈$4,500 |
| 3BR rent | $2,920/mo | $3,080/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.
