Brookline vs Cambridge
You are paying about $350k more for a 4BR in Brookline, and in exchange you get the stronger schools. That is the trade in plain terms: $350k for one tier of schooling.
Cambridge is about 10 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: Cambridge works out roughly $9,700 a year cheaper on its own median 4BR.
Choose Brookline if you want the stronger schools of the two.
All Brookline numbers →Choose Cambridge if you want the lower price, or the commute matters most.
All Cambridge 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.
| Brookline | Cambridge | |
|---|---|---|
| School tier | top schoolsT1 | strong schoolsT2 |
| MCAS percentile | 93rd | 79th |
| Niche district rank | 1st of 236 | 19th of 236 |
| 4BR house | $2.05MT4 | $1.7MT4 |
| 2BR condo | $1M | $925k |
| Commute to Boston | 24 minT1 | 14 minT1 |
| MBTA rail | Rapid transit (T) · ~21 min to downtown | Rapid transit (T) · ~6 min to downtown |
| Tax rate | $10.24T2 | $6.67T1 |
| Est. tax bill on that 4BR | ≈$21,000 | ≈$11,300 |
| 3BR rent | $4,907/mo | $4,790/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.
