Boston/Compare
Downtown vs East Boston
Downtown and East Boston are two official planning neighborhoods in Boston. East Boston is the calmer Part I map (58 vs 5). Walk is a wash (62 vs 65). East Boston has the lower ACS median ($1,918).
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · BPD Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · OSM Sep 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Scores
Fit axes among official Boston planning neighborhoods.
| Axis | Downtown | East Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 5 | 58 |
| Schools | 21 | 29 |
| Walk | 62 | 65 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 100 | 57 |
| Median rent | $2,448 | $1,918 |
| Median home | $1,309,974 | $664,819 |
| Population | 13,582 | 40,017 |
| Commute to Downtown | 6 min | 18 min |
| Commute to Seaport | 10 min | 16 min |
| Commute to Longwood | 16 min | 32 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Downtown | East Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 66% | 71% |
| Median age | 34.4 | 35.2 |
| Median income | $143K | $86K |
| Part I per 1k | 67.5 | 13.4 |
| Groceries / 800m | 20 | 66 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 168 | 130 |
| Parks / 800m | 111 | 92 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Boston city. Up 65% since 2014. Downtown is 14% above the 2024 city median. Eastie is 11% below the 2024 city median.
Overlapping 5-year ACS windows (B25064), not asking rent. Census does not publish a rent series for each official neighborhood, so the line is the city place. Dashed marks are each area’s ACS 2024 median.
Which to pick
The same numbers as the table, in sentences. Nobody wins the city.
Pick Downtown if you want the cafes and the night and the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. Vibe is 100 vs 57. 6 vs 18 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick East Boston if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the rent gap is the point. Safety is 58 vs 5. ACS median rent is $1,918 vs $2,448. East Boston is tagged family on this map; Downtown is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Downtown
Downtown Crossing, the Common’s other edge, Chinatown and the Leather District as search terms. Walk maxes out. Part I is padded by people who do not sleep here.
$2,448 median rent · safety 5 · walk 62
East Boston
Eastie: the airport, the water taxi, and streets that still feel like a neighborhood that was not supposed to get this expensive. Maverick and Orient Heights are the T stops.
$1,918 median rent · safety 58 · walk 65
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Downtown or East Boston?
East Boston is the lower ACS median: $2,448 vs $1,918. About 71% rent in East Boston vs 66% in Downtown. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Downtown more walkable than East Boston?
Walk is basically a tie (62 vs 65). Count groceries if you care: 20 in Downtown vs 66 in East Boston, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, Downtown or East Boston?
East Boston is the calmer Part I read (58 vs 5). Combined rate 13.4 vs 67.5 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Downtown or East Boston?
East Boston leads the school axis (29 vs 21). Nearby rating is 6.2 / 10 vs 6.0 / 10. Median age 35.2 vs 34.4. Downtown has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
6 minutes from Downtown to Downtown, 18 from East Boston. Downtown is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official planning neighborhood that is not Downtown or East Boston: Beacon Hill. Gas lamps, brick, and a hill that actually is a hill. Charles Street is the errand. The Common is the lawn. Quieter than Back Bay, tighter than it looks on a map.
Scores are relative among official Boston planning neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.