Marblehead vs Swampscott
You are paying about $300k more for a 4BR in Marblehead, and in exchange you get the stronger schools. That is the trade in plain terms: $300k for 25 MCAS percentile points inside the same tier.
Swampscott is about 14 minutes closer to downtown Boston at peak, and it has MBTA rail while Marblehead does not. Over a decade of commuting that gap is worth more than most people price it at.
Choose Marblehead if you want the stronger schools of the two.
All Marblehead numbers →Choose Swampscott if you want the lower price, or the commute matters most, or you want a train.
All Swampscott 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.
| Marblehead | Swampscott | |
|---|---|---|
| School tier | strong schoolsT2 | strong schoolsT2 |
| MCAS percentile | 82nd | 57th |
| Niche district rank | 44th of 236 | 77th of 236 |
| 4BR house | $1.35MT3 | $1.05MT3 |
| 2BR condo | $665k | $575k |
| Commute to Boston | 56 minT3 | 42 minT2 |
| MBTA rail | No MBTA rail | Commuter rail · ~31 min to terminal |
| Tax rate | $8.56T1 | $11.50T2 |
| Est. tax bill on that 4BR | ≈$11,600 | ≈$12,100 |
| 3BR rent | $3,287/mo | $3,287/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.
