61fit
Downtown
$2K median rent
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.
NightlifeWalk 62Safety 5
Boston/South Boston
37fit
South Boston
Official planning neighborhood: South Boston
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · BPD Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · OSM Sep 2026 · updated Sep 2026
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.
southieseaportsouth boston waterfrontcastle island
Best in Boston for familiesWalkable BostonUnder $2,500 rent
Why this score
Safety
26
104 violent · 613 property · 19.5 per 1k (Oct 2025 – Sep 2026)-24 vs city set
Schools
61
Rating 7.1 / 10 nearby+13 vs city set
Walk
18
OSM: 7 groceries · 11 cafes · 143 transit · 43 parks-9 vs city set
Cost
84
$2,628 ACS median vs your rent budget-9 vs city set
Vibe
18
OSM: 11 cafes · 34 restaurants · 7 bars · 43 parks-15 vs city set
Commute to work
From South Boston, a typical weekday is 12 min to Downtown, 8 min to Seaport, 22 min to Longwood. Not live traffic.
Seaport is the fastest of these three job centers from here.
Downtown
12 min
Downtown Crossing, Financial District · -4 min vs the city-set median
Seaport
8 min
Innovation District, the waterfront · -11 min vs the city-set median · fastest of these three
Longwood
22 min
Hospitals, medical offices · +4 min vs the city-set median
Minutes are baked from neighborhood geography to three job centers — not Google, not this hour’s traffic.
Cost of living
The ACS median rent is $2,628 — every occupied rental mixed together, not the 1-bed in the window.
That is 19% of median household income — under the 30% HUD line. A household at this area’s median income ($166K) could “afford” about $4,147 a month at 30% of pay.
55% of households rent. Median home value is $858,080.
ACS median rent
$2,628
30% income budget
$4,147
Rent / income
19%
Median home
$858,080
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Boston city. Up 65% since 2014. South Boston 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. The dashed mark is this area’s ACS 2024 median.
HUD treats 30% of income as the cost-burden line. We do not split ACS rent into 1-bed vs 2-bed. Method.
Within a walk
Within a short walk of this official planning neighborhood: 7 groceries, 11 cafes, 43 parks, and 143 transit stops.
Daily errands and coffee are realistic on foot. Parks are close — 43 mapped parks in that radius. Transit is dense (143 stops or stations).
11 cafes and 34 restaurants make this one of the busier food pockets in the Boston set.
OpenStreetMap, 800 meters. Not a Walk Score license. More groceries than 7 of the other 19 areas in this city.
Population
36,766
Median age
32.9
Median income
$166K
Renters
55%
Bachelor+
70%
Violent / 1k
2.8
Property / 1k
16.7
ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · 14 census tracts · BPD Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · OSM 2026-09-10
NightlifeFamily streetsWaterfront
Crime is BPD Part I reports per 1,000 ACS residents — not a judgment of who lives here. Home and rent figures are ACS medians, not live MLS. Read the method.
On the ground
What it is like to live here, beyond the scores.
Southie. Broadway is one 10 p.m.; the Seaport search is another, and the South Boston Waterfront is its own BPDA polygon we fold here as an alias. Castle Island is the walk. The beach is real. The parking is also real.
Weight nightlife on Broadway, commute to the Seaport, family on the quieter streets off East Broadway. The South End is the brownstone west. Downtown is a short bus that feels longer in the snow.
Compiled from Zillow neighborhood guides, 5280 Magazine, Chicago and San Francisco resident guides, Mpls With Love, Eastside LA reporting, Seattle Times coverage, Boston planning-neighborhood writing, and local writing, 2025–2026. Editorial — not part of the fit score.
On Reddit
Public posts from r/boston that mention this neighborhood. Not Nextdoor, not people on this block, and not part of the fit score.
No r/boston posts in this snapshot mentioned South Boston.
Last 90 days, snapshot 2026-09-01. Method.
Common questions
Straight answers from the numbers on this page.
Is South Boston safe?
South Boston shows more Part I than most of this Boston set (safety 26 vs city 50). BPD logged 2.8 violent and 16.7 property incidents per 1,000 residents — 19.5 combined. Visitors count in those numbers. This is not a judgment of who lives here.
What is rent in South Boston?
ACS median rent is $2,628 — studios through large apartments mixed together. About 55% of households rent. Median home value is $858,080. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is South Boston walkable?
Walk is 18 here vs 27 for the Boston set — you will likely drive or ride for a weekly shop. Inside 800 meters: 7 groceries, 11 cafes, 143 transit stops, 43 parks. Not a Walk Score license.
Is South Boston good for families?
The scores lean family relative to this city set. Nearby school rating is 7.1 / 10. Median age is 32.9. That rating is not your assigned campus.
How long is the commute from South Boston?
12 typical weekday minutes to Downtown. Not the app on your phone this hour. Other job centers are further down this page.
How many people live in South Boston?
About 36,766 people. Median income $166K. 70% have a bachelor's or higher.
What neighborhoods are next to South Boston?
Downtown, North End, South End sit closest on this map. If you are choosing between two official planning neighborhoods, start with South Boston vs Downtown.
Next door
Adjacent on the map, ranked with your weights.
South Boston vs DowntownSouth Boston vs North EndSouth Boston vs South End
58fit
Beacon Hill
$2K median rent
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.
Family streetsWalk 34Safety 42
54fit
North End
$3K median rent
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.
NightlifeWalk 25Safety 95
36fit
West End
$3K median rent
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.
PlannedWalk 22Safety 32
34fit
South End
$2K median rent
SoWa, brownstones, and a grid that walks. Tremont and Washington are the strips. Quieter than Back Bay’s shopping, denser than JP.
NightlifeWalk 6Safety 11