Best PlacesWest Cambridge, Cambridge, MA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around West Cambridge, Cambridge, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
West Cambridge, Cambridge ranks 230th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on health care access by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in West 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.
West Cambridge, Cambridge's strengths and weaknesses
Where West Cambridge, Cambridge ranks high
- Healthcare accessBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Household income$184,773 median, better than 98% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
Where West Cambridge, Cambridge ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,897 a month, better than only 9% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 70 pleasant days a year, better than only 25% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 28% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in West Cambridge, Cambridge
A household needs to earn about $354,000 a year to comfortably buy the median West Cambridge, Cambridge home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $184,773, 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 West Cambridge, Cambridge's effective rate of 0.50%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in West Cambridge, Cambridge
West Cambridge, Cambridge's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 West Cambridge, Cambridge.
Who works in West Cambridge, Cambridge, and how
Work in West Cambridge, Cambridge centers on education and professional & technical. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 36%
- Work from home 33%
- Transit, walk, or bike 31%
Life in West Cambridge, Cambridge
West Cambridge, Cambridge has more restaurants and bars per resident than 84% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 91% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 12 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of West Cambridge, Cambridge and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in West Cambridge, Cambridge, month by month
West 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 West Cambridge, Cambridge
General Edward Lawrence Logan International sits about 7 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 West Cambridge, Cambridge
Schools across West Cambridge, Cambridge average a B+, better than 79% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Amigos SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Gardner Pilot AcademyD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Putnam Avenue Upper SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
Top high schools
- Cambridge Rindge And LatinA− · 65% proficient
- Brighton High SchoolF · 5% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every West Cambridge, Cambridge school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
West 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 West Cambridge, Cambridge against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in West Cambridge, Cambridge
Is West Cambridge, Cambridge a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, West Cambridge, Cambridge ranks 230th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on health care access, biking, and an educated workforce, and lowest on childcare costs and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is West Cambridge, Cambridge expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $1,414,358. The overall cost of living runs about 73% above the national average. Set against a $184,773 median income, cost of living beats 84% of neighborhoods.
Is West Cambridge, Cambridge safe?
West Cambridge, Cambridge is safer than 53% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $452 per resident a year.
Compare West Cambridge, Cambridge with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to West Cambridge, Cambridge. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in West 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.
West Cambridge, Cambridge detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for West Cambridge, Cambridge: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in West Cambridge, Cambridge: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of West Cambridge, Cambridge: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in West Cambridge, Cambridge: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
West 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.