Lexington Rent Report

Median rents, days on market, move in costs and what features are worth in Lexington MA, from closed rentals. Updated monthly by PH Realty Group.

The short version is this. A two bedroom in Lexington rents for a median of $3,200 and the typical rental leases in about 23 days, based on 81 rentals that closed in the six months ending 30 September 2026. Plan on about $6,450 in cash to move into a two bedroom. 68 percent of rentals in the last six months went at or above the original asking price.

Lexington isn't one rental market either. By zip code, the median rental runs from $5,000 in 02420 to $5,050 in 02421, and the zip code table below breaks it out by bedroom count. I pulled every closed rental in the MLS for the last two years and ran the numbers myself, and it gets updated every month. The other towns I cover are at the markets page, and the sales side of this town is in my Lexington home sales report.

What a rental actually costs in Lexington right now


These are rented prices, not asking prices. What tenants signed for, not what landlords hoped for. Three windows because the short one is current and the long one is stable. Anything with fewer than ten rentals behind it I leave out rather than pretend it means something.

BedroomsLast 3 monthsLast 6 monthsLast 12 months
2 bedroomtoo few$3,200 (16)$3,200 (24)
3 bedroom$4,800 (13)$5,000 (22)$4,950 (30)
4 bedroom$5,675 (16)$5,675 (28)$5,500 (37)
5+ bedroomtoo fewtoo few$8,850 (20)
All rentals$5,100 (45)$5,000 (81)$5,000 (122)

Medians. Number of closed rentals in parentheses. Windows end 30 September 2026. The biggest single step in Lexington is from a 4 bedroom to a 5+ bedroom, $3,350 a month over the last twelve months. Lexington closed fewer than ten studios in the last year, so there is no studio row.

By zip code

ZipAreaRentalsMedian, all sizes1 bed2 bed3 bedDays to rent
02420Lexington 0242062$5,000too few$3,200 (15)$5,200 (15)30
02421Lexington 0242160$5,050too fewtoo few$4,800 (15)30

Last twelve months, every closed Lexington rental, sorted by median. The all sizes median runs from $5,000 in 02420 to $5,050 in 02421, but part of that is the mix of housing in each zip, so compare the same bedroom count across a row where the sample allows.

By type of building

Type2br median2br days3br median3br days
Apartment$3,121 (10)34too few
Single familytoo few$5,000 (20)24

Last twelve months. Same bedroom count, different building: this is what the product itself is worth.

How long does it take to rent?


Priced right: 21 days. Overpriced: 58 days, and a $400 cut anyway.

122 closed Lexington rentals in the last twelve months

Over the last twelve months the median Lexington rental took 30 days. 7 percent rented within a week, and 20 percent are gone inside two weeks. 53 percent of rentals went at exactly the original asking price and another 12 percent above it, so 34 percent of Lexington landlords had to cut.

When they did cut, the pattern is the same one I find everywhere: 21 days at full price against 58 days with a cut, and the cut ran a median of $400 a month. Overpricing costs a month of vacancy and then the lower rent anyway.

Time on marketShare
Under a week7%
8 to 14 days12%
15 to 30 days32%
31 to 60 days28%
61 to 90 days9%
More than 90 days11%

122 rentals, last twelve months.

What does it cost to move in?


About $6,450 for a typical two bedroom.

That is 2.0 times one month of rent. 24 two bedroom rentals, last twelve months.

For a two bedroom in Lexington:

  • 92 percent charge a security deposit, median $3,175
  • 46 percent require last month up front on top of first
  • 38 percent want both

So a $3,200 two bedroom realistically needs about $6,450 in the bank to sign. If that shapes your search, better to know before you fall in love with something. Reach out and I'll send you what I currently have available.

What is a garage worth? A fireplace? New construction?


My favorite part of the report, because these numbers exist nowhere else. Every feature is compared within the same bedroom count, so a two bedroom is only measured against another two bedroom, and any comparison with fewer than ten rentals on either side gets thrown out.

FeatureShare of rentalsRent differenceSpeed difference
Garage parking57%+$72516 days slower
Fireplace58%+$20012 days slower
Second full bathroom73%+$17520 days slower
A half bath49%about $100no clear effect
Pets allowed73%$175 less4 days faster
Laundry in the unit76%$400 lessno clear effect

Median differences within bedroom count, last twelve months. The rows near the bottom stay in on purpose. A report that finds a premium on every feature is a report you shouldn't trust.

Read this table for what it really says. The biggest gaps in Lexington (garage parking, fireplace, second full bathroom) mostly describe which kind of property you're in, not an amenity you can add on a weekend. They are the signature of the newer or larger unit.

And the things that barely move the rent here: a half bath. Where most listings already have something, it stops being worth extra.

One honest caveat about that table

Those numbers describe what a unit was listed with, not what I verified in person. Agents who fill out listings carefully also tend to be marketing better units, so part of what any feature appears to be worth is really the value of a better building and a better listing. The year built, bathroom, garage and fireplace rows rest on hard structural fields and are the most reliable. The amenity checkboxes are directional.

When is the best time to rent in Lexington?


The fast months are February, May and June, when the median rental goes in 17 to 20 days. July and August close the most deals. The slow months are January and November, at 58 to 62 days. If your lease ends in late fall or winter, fix the cycle. A vacant month on a $5,000 Lexington rental is a $5,000 mistake.

MonthRentals closedMedian days to rent
January1862
February1220
March1125
April3022
May1717
June3119
July4829
August3534
September1933
October1840
November1658
December1742

Two full years of closings pooled by the month the lease was signed, October 2024 through September 2026.

How much space do you get for the money?


BedroomsMedian sizeRent per square foot
2 bedroom1,174 sqft$2.71
3 bedroom1,860 sqft$2.59
4 bedroom2,237 sqft$2.38
5+ bedroom4,278 sqft$2.10

Last twelve months. A 2 bedroom in Lexington costs $2.71 a square foot against $2.10 for a 5+ bedroom. Square footage comes from the listing agent and is approximate, so trust the pattern more than the exact cents.

Are Lexington rents going up or down?


Up, about 2 percent, measured the most honest way there is.

The same units against themselves: across 16 cases where one Lexington unit rented twice at least six months apart, the median change was up 2.2%. 11 went up, 1 held, 4 went down.

Full years side by side, October 2024 through September 2025 against October 2025 through September 2026, the all bedroom median went from $4,300 to $5,000, up 16.3%. Headline medians move with the mix of what happened to rent, which is why the same unit comparison is the one I trust.

BedroomsOct 2024 to Sep 2025Oct 2025 to Sep 2026Change
2 bedroom$3,125 (40)$3,200 (24)up 2.4%
3 bedroom$4,500 (42)$4,950 (30)up 10.0%
4 bedroom$5,750 (36)$5,500 (37)down 4.3%
5+ bedroom$7,800 (19)$8,850 (20)up 13.5%
All rentals$4,300 (150)$5,000 (122)up 16.3%
Same unit, rented twice16 matched pairsup 2.2%

Full twelve month windows on both sides, so seasonality can't fake the comparison.

What do Lexington landlords include in the rent?


IncludedShare of rentals
Parking55%
Grounds maintenance48%
Water47%
Trash47%
Sewer43%
Snow removal31%
Laundry facilities27%
Hot water18%
Heat11%
Electricity7%
Gas4%

Last twelve months, as listed. Only 11 percent of Lexington rentals include heat, so budget for winter utilities on everything else.

Own a rental in Lexington? These are the numbers I price units with every week. If you want to know what yours should rent for, send me the address and what it last rented at, and I'll tell you what I'd list it for and how long I think it takes. No charge and no pressure, it's a five minute exercise for me.

Send me your unit

Renting instead? Get in touch and I'll send you what I have available, and here's my general guide to Lexington if you're new to the area.

Where these numbers come from


Source. Every figure on this page is calculated from closed rental transactions recorded in MLS Property Information Network. Lexington closed 272 rentals settled 1 October 2024 through 30 September 2026, every one of them in this analysis, deduplicated by listing number. These are rents tenants actually signed, not asking prices.

Windows. The headline numbers use the last three, six and twelve months ending 30 September 2026. The trend compares two complete twelve month windows, and the seasonal table pools both years.

Method. Medians, not averages, because the top of the market would drag an average around badly. Time on market is the MLS days on market field. Cash to move in is first month, plus last month where required, plus the security deposit. Any figure resting on fewer than ten rentals gets left out entirely.

What's approximate. Square footage, amenities and included utilities are entered by listing agents and aren't independently verified. Neighborhoods are as coded in the MLS.

Corrections. If you find an error, tell me. I'll fix it and note it in the log below. That's the deal.

Based on information provided to and compiled by MLS Property Information Network, Inc. covering the period 1 October 2024 through 30 September 2026.

Update log

  • 30 September 2026. Monthly refresh. Rebuilt on a full two year pull with every closed rental included, so the trend now compares two complete years.
  • August 2026. First publication.
Text us Call us