The short version is this. A two bedroom in Watertown rents for a median of $2,900 and the typical rental leases in about 22 days, based on 263 rentals that closed in the six months ending 30 September 2026. Plan on about $6,000 in cash to move into a two bedroom. 66 percent of rentals in the last six months went at or above the original asking price.
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 Watertown home sales report.
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.
| Bedrooms | Last 3 months | Last 6 months | Last 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | $2,350 (19) | $2,400 (40) | $2,400 (62) |
| 2 bedroom | $2,800 (60) | $2,900 (123) | $2,800 (210) |
| 3 bedroom | $3,350 (40) | $3,450 (74) | $3,400 (115) |
| 4 bedroom | too few | $4,200 (22) | $4,200 (38) |
| All rentals | $2,900 (132) | $3,000 (263) | $2,950 (430) |
Medians. Number of closed rentals in parentheses. Windows end 30 September 2026. The biggest single step in Watertown is from a 3 bedroom to a 4 bedroom, $800 a month over the last twelve months. Watertown closed fewer than ten studios in the last year, so there is no studio row.
| Type | 2br median | 2br days | 3br median | 3br days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment | $2,800 (129) | 23 | $3,200 (60) | 34 |
| Condo | $2,800 (49) | 25 | $3,650 (12) | 30 |
| Townhouse or duplex | $2,800 (31) | 21 | $3,675 (36) | 30 |
Last twelve months. Same bedroom count, different building: this is what the product itself is worth.
Priced right: 19 days. Overpriced: 52 days, and a $200 cut anyway.
430 closed Watertown rentals in the last twelve months
Over the last twelve months the median Watertown rental took 27 days. 12 percent rented within a week, and 29 percent are gone inside two weeks. 55 percent of rentals went at exactly the original asking price and another 9 percent above it, so 37 percent of Watertown landlords had to cut.
When they did cut, the pattern is the same one I find everywhere: 19 days at full price against 52 days with a cut, and the cut ran a median of $200 a month. Overpricing costs a month of vacancy and then the lower rent anyway.
| Time on market | Share |
|---|---|
| Under a week | 12% |
| 8 to 14 days | 17% |
| 15 to 30 days | 26% |
| 31 to 60 days | 23% |
| 61 to 90 days | 13% |
| More than 90 days | 9% |
430 rentals, last twelve months.
About $6,000 for a typical two bedroom.
That is 2.1 times one month of rent. 210 two bedroom rentals, last twelve months.
For a two bedroom in Watertown:
So a $2,800 two bedroom realistically needs about $6,000 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.
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.
| Feature | Share of rentals | Rent difference | Speed difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| A half bath | 17% | +$800 | 6 days slower |
| Second full bathroom | 29% | +$675 | 4 days slower |
| Fireplace | 19% | +$675 | no clear effect |
| Private outdoor space | 30% | +$575 | 10 days slower |
| Air conditioning | 68% | +$375 | 3 days slower |
| Laundry in the unit | 50% | +$325 | 7 days faster |
| Garage parking | 30% | +$275 | 3 days faster |
| Second parking space | 67% | +$225 | 11 days faster |
| Walking distance to a T stop | 31% | +$200 | no clear effect |
| Pets allowed | 60% | about $100 | no clear effect |
| Heat included in rent | 16% | $150 less | 6 days slower |
| Built before 1940 | 45% | $400 less | 12 days faster |
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 Watertown (a half bath, second full bathroom, fireplace) 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: pets allowed. Where most listings already have something, it stops being worth extra.
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.
The fast months are April, May and July, when the median rental goes in 21 to 22 days. August and May close the most deals. The slow months are November and October, at 43 to 44 days. If your lease ends in late fall or winter, fix the cycle. A vacant month on a $2,950 Watertown rental is a $2,950 mistake.
| Month | Rentals closed | Median days to rent |
|---|---|---|
| January | 43 | 42 |
| February | 37 | 24 |
| March | 81 | 27 |
| April | 70 | 22 |
| May | 104 | 22 |
| June | 91 | 26 |
| July | 89 | 21 |
| August | 110 | 22 |
| September | 68 | 32 |
| October | 79 | 43 |
| November | 56 | 44 |
| December | 47 | 34 |
Two full years of closings pooled by the month the lease was signed, October 2024 through September 2026.
| Bedrooms | Median size | Rent per square foot |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | 750 sqft | $3.12 |
| 2 bedroom | 1,100 sqft | $2.61 |
| 3 bedroom | 1,450 sqft | $2.45 |
| 4 bedroom | 2,200 sqft | $2.04 |
Last twelve months. A 1 bedroom in Watertown costs $3.12 a square foot against $2.04 for a 4 bedroom. Square footage comes from the listing agent and is approximate, so trust the pattern more than the exact cents.
Up, about 1 percent, measured the most honest way there is.
The same units against themselves: across 45 cases where one Watertown unit rented twice at least six months apart, the median change was up 1.0%. 23 went up, 14 held, 8 went down.
Full years side by side, October 2024 through September 2025 against October 2025 through September 2026, the all bedroom median went from $2,900 to $2,950, up 1.7%. Headline medians move with the mix of what happened to rent, which is why the same unit comparison is the one I trust.
| Bedrooms | Oct 2024 to Sep 2025 | Oct 2025 to Sep 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | $2,350 (66) | $2,400 (62) | up 2.1% |
| 2 bedroom | $2,850 (236) | $2,800 (210) | down 1.8% |
| 3 bedroom | $3,400 (106) | $3,400 (115) | flat |
| 4 bedroom | $4,500 (26) | $4,200 (38) | down 6.7% |
| All rentals | $2,900 (445) | $2,950 (430) | up 1.7% |
| Same unit, rented twice | 45 matched pairs | up 1.0% | |
Full twelve month windows on both sides, so seasonality can't fake the comparison.
| Included | Share of rentals |
|---|---|
| Water | 78% |
| Sewer | 66% |
| Parking | 49% |
| Grounds maintenance | 49% |
| Trash | 46% |
| Snow removal | 34% |
| Laundry facilities | 31% |
| Heat | 16% |
| Hot water | 15% |
| Gas | 3% |
Last twelve months, as listed. Only 16 percent of Watertown rentals include heat, so budget for winter utilities on everything else.
Own a rental in Watertown? Watertown is our home market and 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.
Renting instead? Get in touch and I'll send you what I have available, and here's my general guide to Watertown if you're new to the area.
Source. Every figure on this page is calculated from closed rental transactions recorded in MLS Property Information Network. Watertown closed 875 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.