# Massachusetts Property Tax Rates: How Boston, Newton, Milton, and Lexington Compare in FY2026
Key Takeaways
•A tax rate is not a price tag. Multiply it by the assessed value of the specific house before you rank towns.
•Rates compare cleanly only when assessments are similar. When assessed values diverge, the rate gap tells you little.
•Boston is different: it is the only one of the four with a broad owner-occupant exemption, worth up to $4,353.74 in FY2026. Pull the assessor's record for your own parcel before you sign.
Why Does Newton Look Cheaper Than Lexington?
For FY2026, Newton is $9.69 per $1,000 of assessed value. Milton is $11.81. Lexington is $12.31.
FY2026 Residential Tax Rates Across Selected Greater Boston Communities
Compares reported FY2026 residential property tax rates, expressed as dollars per $1,000 of assessed value, across selected Greater Boston communities.
| Series | Label | Value |
|---|---|---|
| FY2026 residential tax rate per $1,000 assessed value | Cambridge | $6.67 |
| FY2026 residential tax rate per $1,000 assessed value | Medford | $8.63 |
| FY2026 residential tax rate per $1,000 assessed value | Newton | $9.69 |
| FY2026 residential tax rate per $1,000 assessed value | Brookline | $10.24 |
| FY2026 residential tax rate per $1,000 assessed value | Arlington | $10.67 |
| FY2026 residential tax rate per $1,000 assessed value | Somerville | $10.98 |
| FY2026 residential tax rate per $1,000 assessed value | Belmont | $11.51 |
| FY2026 residential tax rate per $1,000 assessed value | Milton | $11.81 |
| FY2026 residential tax rate per $1,000 assessed value | Watertown | $12.20 |
| FY2026 residential tax rate per $1,000 assessed value | Lexington | $12.31 |
The rate is a formula output: a town divides the amount it needs to raise from property taxes — the levy, or total dollars collected — by the total assessed value of its taxable property. When values climb faster than the levy, the rate can fall even as bills rise. Mass.gov reports that residential rates fell in 230 communities for FY2026. At the same time, the statewide levy rose $1.2 billion. Many of those homeowners got a smaller rate and a bigger bill in the same year. Ask your assessor how much the town plans to collect next year.
A low rate often signals high property values. It does not guarantee a lower bill.
Is Newton's Low Rate Better Than Lexington's Higher Rate?
It depends on the assessments.
Start with identical homes. Divide the two published rates and Lexington's $12.31 works out to about 27% more per $1,000 than Newton's $9.69. On a $1.2 million assessment, that is about $11,628 in Newton versus $14,772 in Lexington. For comparably valued homes, the rate gap is real money.
Now let the assessments diverge. Suppose a Newton home is assessed at $1.6 million: at $9.69 per $1,000, that is about $15,504. A Lexington home assessed at $1.1 million comes to about $13,541. The higher-rate town produced the lower bill — not because its rate is better, but because the house is assessed $500,000 lower. That is the whole point: the assessment usually swamps the rate.
Why Is Boston Different?
Boston has a broad owner-occupant residential exemption that Newton, Lexington, and Milton do not.
Which Greater Boston Communities Offer a Broad Residential Exemption?
Summarizes whether selected Greater Boston municipalities offer a broad owner-occupant residential exemption and lists savings amounts where provided.
| Category | Broad owner-occupant residential exemption status |
|---|---|
| Boston | Yes — up to $4,353.74 (FY2026) |
| Cambridge | Yes — approx. $3,403 (FY2026) |
| Somerville | Yes — up to approx. $4,578 (FY2026) |
| Brookline | Yes |
| Watertown | Yes — approx. $3,961 (FY2026) |
| Newton | No broad exemption |
| Arlington, Belmont, Medford, Lexington, Winchester, Milton | No broad exemption |
For FY2026 that exemption is worth up to $4,353.74, as compiled by Remmes & Co. — roughly $363 a month off the tax portion of your mortgage payment, the escrow account your lender uses to pay property taxes.
Boston's FY2026 application deadline was April 1, 2026, and the credit appears on the third-quarter bill mailed in late December; confirm the current amount and deadline with the Boston Assessing Department.
Boston FY2026 Residential Exemption: Savings and Deadline
Highlights the reported maximum Boston FY2026 residential exemption savings, its monthly equivalent, and key timing details.
FY2026 Boston residential exemption
Max savings$4,353.74
Approximate monthly savings / escrow reduction$363 per month
Application deadlineApril 1, 2026
Credit applied tothird-quarter bill mailed in late December
What Are the Best Arguments Against Comparing This Way?
"The rate gap is still real money."
Agreed — see the identical-assessment math above. The narrower claim: the rate alone does not tell you the bill.
"Rates don't only fall."
True. A rate is a formula output and can move up in any given year, so a buyer betting on continued decline may be betting wrong. Check the town's posted rate history with the assessor.
"Can I use these town rates to estimate my exact bill?"
Only as a starting point — you still need the parcel's assessed value and any exemptions.
"Is the Milton number even reliable?"
Fair challenge. The $11.81 figure comes from a market blog, not from the Milton assessor or the state's Division of Local Services. Confirm it with the town assessor: verify the parcel, not the headline rate.
What Three Numbers Should You Ask For Before You Buy?
1. The average single-family tax bill in each town, published by the state Division of Local Services in its online Databank.
2. The town's override history over the past ten years — how often voters have approved tax increases. Ask the assessor or town clerk what each one did.
3. Your target home's assessment compared with the town average.
Pick the community first — schools, commute, the street you want. Then verify the bill on the assessor's record before you sign.
Send an address and we can walk through the actual tax impact together.
