Yankees vs. Red Sox Housing Rivalry: $3,000 Rents and 20% Price Surges Leave Buyers and Renters Paying World Series Prices

The Yankees and Red Sox are battling again in October, and while these two teams have more than 100 years of beef between them, the real rivalry might be off the field—in the housing market. 

Since 2021, the last time these teams clashed in the postseason, home prices in both metros have soared more than 20% and median rents have risen to nearly $3,000 a month. For homeowners, that means big equity gains. For renters and hopeful homebuyers, it’s a brutal affordability squeeze.

“Both median list prices for owned homes and median asking rents increased at similar rates,” says Realtor.com® senior economist Jake Krimmel. “In baseball terms, take your pick: It’s a close game, but definitely not a pitchers’ duel. Slugfest.”

So which city’s owners and renters are the real winners? We crunched the stats to find out.

Home prices: Two heavy hitters going yard

When it comes to home prices, Boston and New York are swinging for the fences, with values in both cities on the up. Boston holds a slight edge, with median list prices rising 23.1% to $799,900, while New York climbed 22.1% to $760,000, according to Realtor.com data.

That kind of parallel appreciation reflects a strong post-pandemic rebound, says Krimmel. 

“Since 2021, many more workers have returned to the office either on a full-time or hybrid basis, which has helped to reinvigorate downtown cores in New York and Boston,” he explains. “The return to office has also been a boon for house values in the greater Boston and New York City areas as well—not just the downtown areas close to offices and retail.”

For homeowners, it’s been a home run. For buyers trying to get in the game, though, affordability has only gotten tougher.

Days on the market: Boston’s fastballs are slowing

Boston still has the speed advantage over New York, but its lead is slipping.

Homes in New York now spend an average of 58 days on the market, up five days since 2021. In Boston, homes sell faster—averaging just 45 days—but that’s a slowdown of 14 days compared to four years ago.

So while Boston is still outpacing New York, its once-blazing fastball is losing velocity, signaling a market that’s cooling more quickly.

Price reductions: Boston owners are taking more swings

Here’s where New York mounts a comeback. In Boston, the share of homes with price cuts has climbed to 17.8%—a 6-point jump from 2021. In New York, by contrast, price reductions have held steady at 7.9%.

That gap suggests Boston sellers are feeling the pinch of affordability more acutely, trimming expectations to keep buyers in play, while New York owners remain more confident holding the line.

“The only daylight between the two metros since 2021 is that time on market and price reductions are up slightly more in Boston in 2025,” emphasizes Krimmel. “But overall, Boston remains quite a tight market, while other measures, like months of supply, point to New York loosening in the past several months.”

Rents: The curse of the NIMBY-no

Renters in both cities are paying World Series prices, with median rents hovering just below $3,000 a month in 2025. Boston’s average sits at $2,979, while New York comes in at $2,946. Vacancy rates have also plunged—down to 2.4% in Boston and 4.7% in New York—underscoring just how little slack there is in either rental market.

“Whereas rents were flat or down in both metros during the heart of lockdown, we have seen rents increase in both metros and rental vacancy rates fall to extremely low levels,” says Krimmel.

That squeeze reflects a deeper problem: chronic undersupply. 

If the Curse of the Bambino kept Boston without a championship for 86 years, the curse of the “NIMBY-no” is keeping new housing out of reach in both metros. The shortage is especially acute in Massachusetts, where the share of homes listed below $500,000 has fallen from nearly half in 2019 to just 22% today, while million-dollar listings have doubled.

The affordability crunch even extends to baseball legends’ homes. Earlier this year, LSU gymnast and social media star Olivia Dunne had her $1.6 million cash offer rejected on the former New York apartment of Babe Ruth (aka The Great Bambino, the Sultan of Swat). This high-profile rejection proves that even celebrity status can’t guarantee access in cities where co-op boards and sky-high demand keep barriers firmly in place.

The result is a brutal math problem for ordinary renters. In New York, the median rent now consumes 55% of a typical household income, nearly double the widely accepted 30% threshold. Even with wage growth and rent freezes, as mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is campaigning on, closing that gap could take decades.

Who gets the W?

So who wins in this housing rivalry? It’s still too close to call, according to Krimmel. 

“In terms of what city gets the W for owners or renters, this one is going to extra innings,” he says. “In terms of affordability, unfortunately, both metro areas rank toward the bottom on most measures, chiefly because they are chronically undersupplied.”

For homeowners, both markets have delivered strong equity gains since 2021, but New York edges ahead thanks to fewer price cuts and more seller confidence. For renters, Boston’s slower rent growth gives it a slight advantage, though neither city comes close to affordability by national standards.

In other words: This isn’t a blowout. It’s a slugfest that’s still unfolding, with the ultimate winner likely decided by how each city tackles its housing shortage in the years ahead.

What’s next for the rivalry?

On the field, the Yankees and Red Sox are headed to Game 2 of the Wild Card Series, with Boston up one game after a Bronx heartbreaker. If the Sox win on Wednesday night, it’s over. If the Yankees force a third game, the teams will take one last swing at each other on Thursday. 

Off the field, though, homeowners and renters won’t know the real winner for years.

“Over the next two to three years, structural economic changes will determine whether New York or Boston comes out on top,” says Krimmel. “For current and prospective homeowners, a steadily growing job market and lower interest rates will be key. Renters, meanwhile, will be hoping legislation at the federal, state, and local levels can bring much needed supply to the market.”

For now, the verdict is clear: Whether you’re in Boston or New York, you’re playing in the major leagues of housing costs—and when you make it to The Show, there are no easy wins.