Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Brookline, Massachusetts
A $1,233,000 home here costs
$8,845per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $6,339. The real number is $2,506 higher every month — 40% more than the payment most buyers budget for.
Where every dollar goes
Only the first line is a mortgage payment. Change any assumption above and every figure below recalculates.
Brookline against Norfolk County and Massachusetts
| Measure | Brookline | Norfolk County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $1,233,100 | $649,400 |
| Median property tax | $10,001 | $7,081 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.811% | 1.090% |
| Median gross rent | $2,804 | $2,072 |
| Population | 62,822 | 724,540 |
The weather behind that power bill
Brookline sits in Norfolk County, which averages a high of 85.7°F in its hottest month and a low of 20.6°F in its coldest, with 43.91" of precipitation a year and 28% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 828 cooling and 5,540 heating degree days, which is what sets the $259 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Norfolk County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Norfolk County
Full Norfolk County cost breakdown · Every county in Massachusetts
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Brookline?
A $1,233,000 home in Brookline, Massachusetts costs approximately $8,845 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $6,339 principal and interest, $833 property tax, $319 homeowners insurance, $327 utilities and $1,028 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Brookline?
Brookline has an effective property tax rate of 0.811%, based on a median home value of $1,233,100 and median real estate taxes of $10,001. That is lower than the Norfolk County average of 1.090%.
What is the average home price in Brookline?
The median owner-occupied home value in Brookline, Massachusetts is $1,233,100, against $649,400 across Norfolk County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Brookline?
Median gross rent in Brookline is $2,804 a month, against $8,845 to own the median home all in. Renting costs less month to month here, though renting builds no equity.
Sources & methodology
- Median home value, real estate taxes, gross rent and population for Brookline — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Massachusetts.
- Electricity price — EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A.
- Mortgage rate — Freddie Mac PMMS, refreshed weekly.
- Maintenance (1%/yr) and water and sewer ($68/mo) are national estimates. Every assumption above is editable.