Best PlacesEast Cambridge, Cambridge, MA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around East Cambridge, Cambridge, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
East Cambridge, Cambridge ranks 443rd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in East Cambridge, Cambridge
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
East Cambridge, Cambridge's strengths and weaknesses
Where East Cambridge, Cambridge ranks high
- BikingBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
Where East Cambridge, Cambridge ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,897 a month, better than only 9% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 22% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in East Cambridge, Cambridge
A household needs to earn about $223,000 a year to comfortably buy the median East Cambridge, Cambridge home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $141,037, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses East Cambridge, Cambridge's effective rate of 0.42%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in East Cambridge, Cambridge
East Cambridge, Cambridge runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for East Cambridge, Cambridge.
Who works in East Cambridge, Cambridge, and how
Work in East Cambridge, Cambridge centers on professional & technical and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 21%
- Work from home 36%
- Transit, walk, or bike 44%
Life in East Cambridge, Cambridge
East Cambridge, Cambridge has more restaurants and bars per resident than 78% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 8 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of East Cambridge, Cambridge and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in East Cambridge, Cambridge, month by month
East Cambridge, Cambridge sees roughly 70 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 42, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 32° | 25° |
| April | 60° | 49° | 40° |
| July | 86° | 75° | 67° |
| October | 67° | 57° | 49° |
Flying in and out of East Cambridge, Cambridge
General Edward Lawrence Logan International sits about 4 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 21.1 million passengers in 2025, with 199 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around East Cambridge, Cambridge
Schools across East Cambridge, Cambridge average a B+, better than 78% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Eliot K-8 Innovation SchoolA · 63% proficient
- Amigos SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Warren-prescott K-8 SchoolB− · 41% proficient
Top middle schools
- Vassal Lane Upper SchoolB · 43% proficient
- Putnam Avenue Upper SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Cambridge Street Upper SchoolD+ · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- Cambridge Rindge And LatinA− · 65% proficient
- Somerville HighB+ · 51% proficient
- Community Charter School Of CambridgeC+ · 40% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every East Cambridge, Cambridge school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
East Cambridge, Cambridge measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare East Cambridge, Cambridge against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in East Cambridge, Cambridge
Is East Cambridge, Cambridge a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, East Cambridge, Cambridge ranks 443rd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on biking, walkability, and population health, and lowest on childcare costs and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is East Cambridge, Cambridge expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $899,421. The overall cost of living runs about 73% above the national average. Set against a $141,037 median income, cost of living beats 58% of neighborhoods.
Is East Cambridge, Cambridge safe?
East Cambridge, Cambridge is safer than 53% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $461 per resident a year.
Compare East Cambridge, Cambridge with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to East Cambridge, Cambridge. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in East Cambridge, Cambridge represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
East Cambridge, Cambridge detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for East Cambridge, Cambridge: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in East Cambridge, Cambridge: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of East Cambridge, Cambridge: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in East Cambridge, Cambridge: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
East Cambridge, Cambridge detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.