Boston/Compare
North End vs South Boston
North End and South Boston are two official planning neighborhoods in Boston. North End is the calmer Part I map (95 vs 26). North End wins the errand count. South Boston has the lower ACS median ($2,628).
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 | North End | South Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 95 | 26 |
| Schools | 57 | 61 |
| Walk | 25 | 18 |
| Cost fit | 92 | 95 |
| Vibe | 54 | 18 |
| Median rent | $2,728 | $2,628 |
| Median home | $777,320 | $858,080 |
| Population | 9,436 | 36,766 |
| Commute to Downtown | 8 min | 12 min |
| Commute to Seaport | 12 min | 8 min |
| Commute to Longwood | 22 min | 22 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | North End | South Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 78% | 55% |
| Median age | 30.7 | 32.9 |
| Median income | $115K | $166K |
| Part I per 1k | 7.0 | 19.5 |
| Groceries / 800m | 11 | 7 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 93 | 143 |
| Parks / 800m | 86 | 43 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Boston city. Up 65% since 2014. N End is 27% above 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 North End if the quieter map matters more than the scene and you want the cafes and the night. Safety is 95 vs 26. Vibe is 54 vs 18. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick South Boston if you want the quieter, family-leaning read and the rent gap is the point. South Boston is tagged family on this map; North End is not. ACS median rent is $2,628 vs $2,728. Read both pages before you decide.
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.
$2,728 median rent · safety 95 · walk 25
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, North End or South Boston?
South Boston is the lower ACS median: $2,728 vs $2,628. About 55% rent in South Boston vs 78% in North End. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is North End more walkable than South Boston?
North End wins the errand count (walk 25 vs 18). Groceries inside 800 meters: 11 vs 7. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, North End or South Boston?
North End is the calmer Part I read (95 vs 26). Combined rate 7.0 vs 19.5 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, North End or South Boston?
South Boston leads the school axis (61 vs 57). Nearby rating is 7.1 / 10 vs 7.0 / 10. Median age 32.9 vs 30.7. North End has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
8 minutes from North End to Downtown, 12 from South Boston. North End is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official planning neighborhood that is not North End or South Boston: West End. MGH, the Garden, and towers that replaced a neighborhood. New rental, high median, and a walk to the river. You live here for the job and the T, not a main street.
Scores are relative among official Boston planning neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.