Wayland vs Weston
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.
Weston is about 5 minutes closer to downtown Boston at peak, and it has MBTA rail while Wayland does not. Over a decade of commuting that gap is worth more than most people price it at.
On tax, look past the rate: Wayland works out roughly $8,600 a year cheaper on its own median 4BR — despite having the higher rate of the two, because the bill follows the house.
Choose Wayland if you want the lower price.
All Wayland numbers →Choose Weston if the commute matters most, or you want a train.
All Weston 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.
| Wayland | Weston | |
|---|---|---|
| School tier | top schoolsT1 | top schoolsT1 |
| MCAS percentile | 98th | 99th |
| Niche district rank | 9th of 236 | 2nd of 236 |
| 4BR house | $1.6MT4 | $2.9MT4 |
| 2BR condo | $815k | $1.29M |
| Commute to Boston | 46 minT3 | 41 minT2 |
| MBTA rail | No MBTA rail | Commuter rail · ~36 min to terminal |
| Tax rate | $15.50T4 | $11.50T2 |
| Est. tax bill on that 4BR | ≈$24,800 | ≈$33,400 |
| 3BR rent | $3,657/mo | $3,700/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.
