Boston/Compare
East Boston vs South Boston
East Boston and South Boston are two official planning neighborhoods in Boston. East Boston is the calmer Part I map (58 vs 26). East Boston wins the errand count. 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 | East Boston | South Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 58 | 26 |
| Schools | 29 | 61 |
| Walk | 65 | 18 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 95 |
| Vibe | 57 | 18 |
| Median rent | $1,918 | $2,628 |
| Median home | $664,819 | $858,080 |
| Population | 40,017 | 36,766 |
| Commute to Downtown | 18 min | 12 min |
| Commute to Seaport | 16 min | 8 min |
| Commute to Longwood | 32 min | 22 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | East Boston | South Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 71% | 55% |
| Median age | 35.2 | 32.9 |
| Median income | $86K | $166K |
| Part I per 1k | 13.4 | 19.5 |
| Groceries / 800m | 66 | 7 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 130 | 143 |
| Parks / 800m | 92 | 43 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Boston city. Up 65% since 2014. Eastie is 11% below the 2024 city median. Southie is 22% above 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 East Boston if you want the errands on foot and you want the cafes and the night. Walk is 65 vs 18. Vibe is 57 vs 18. Safety is 58 vs 26. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick South Boston if the school rating nearby is the point and the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. Schools score 61 vs 29. 12 vs 18 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
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
South Boston
Southie. Broadway is one 10 p.m.; the Seaport search is another, and the waterfront is its own BPDA polygon we fold here as an alias. The beach is real. The parking is also real.
$2,628 median rent · safety 26 · walk 18
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, East Boston or South Boston?
East Boston is the lower ACS median: $1,918 vs $2,628. About 71% rent in East Boston vs 55% in South Boston. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is East Boston more walkable than South Boston?
East Boston wins the errand count (walk 65 vs 18). Groceries inside 800 meters: 66 vs 7. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, East Boston or South Boston?
East Boston is the calmer Part I read (58 vs 26). Combined rate 13.4 vs 19.5 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, East Boston or South Boston?
South Boston leads the school axis (61 vs 29). Nearby rating is 7.1 / 10 vs 6.2 / 10. Median age 32.9 vs 35.2. East Boston has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
18 minutes from East Boston to Downtown, 12 from South Boston. South Boston is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official planning neighborhood that is not East Boston or South Boston: North End. Hanover Street is the postcard. The alleys are where people actually live. You will hear the tourists. You will also walk to a grocery if you picked the right block.
Scores are relative among official Boston planning neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.