Brookline vs Newton
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.
Brookline 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: Newton works out roughly $2,600 a year cheaper on its own median 4BR.
Choose Brookline if the commute matters most.
All Brookline numbers →Choose Newton if you want the lower price.
All Newton 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 | Newton | |
|---|---|---|
| School tier | top schoolsT1 | top schoolsT1 |
| MCAS percentile | 93rd | 91st |
| Niche district rank | 1st of 236 | 10th of 236 |
| 4BR house | $2.05MT4 | $1.9MT4 |
| 2BR condo | $1M | $925k |
| Commute to Boston | 24 minT1 | 31 minT2 |
| MBTA rail | Rapid transit (T) · ~21 min to downtown | Rapid transit (T) · ~26 min to downtown |
| Tax rate | $10.24T2 | $9.69T1 |
| Est. tax bill on that 4BR | ≈$21,000 | ≈$18,400 |
| 3BR rent | $4,907/mo | $4,557/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.
