Needham vs Wellesley
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.
On tax, look past the rate: Needham works out roughly $2,900 a year cheaper on its own median 4BR — despite having the higher rate of the two, because the bill follows the house.
Choose Needham if you want the lower price, or the commute matters most.
All Needham numbers →Choose Wellesley if you prefer the town itself — the numbers do not separate them.
All Wellesley 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.
| Needham | Wellesley | |
|---|---|---|
| School tier | top schoolsT1 | top schoolsT1 |
| MCAS percentile | 97th | 98th |
| Niche district rank | 12th of 236 | 15th of 236 |
| 4BR house | $1.85MT4 | $2.25MT4 |
| 2BR condo | $925k | $1.07M |
| Commute to Boston | 38 minT2 | 39 minT2 |
| MBTA rail | Commuter rail · ~34 min to terminal | Commuter rail · ~38 min to terminal |
| Tax rate | $10.83T2 | $10.17T2 |
| Est. tax bill on that 4BR | ≈$20,000 | ≈$22,900 |
| 3BR rent | $4,233/mo | $4,780/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.
