Brookline vs Cambridge
Across the six headline livability metrics (schools, safety, walkability, biking, affordability, and commute), Brookline edges Cambridge 4 to 2. Median homes in Cambridge run roughly $300k cheaper than in Brookline, about 21% less. Cambridge is about 8 minutes closer to Boston by car at peak. Schools tilt clearly toward Brookline (98 vs. 84).
The two towns at a glance
Brookline
Cambridge
Head-to-head: every metric
| Brookline | Cambridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Headline | ||
| Livability index | 83 ✦ | 81 |
| Economics | ||
| Median home | $1.45M ✦ | $1.15M |
| Household income | $137k ✦ | $131k |
| Price ÷ income | 10.6× ✦ | 8.8× |
| Tax burden | 55 | 68 ✦ |
| Schools & Safety | ||
| Schools | 98 ✦ | 84 |
| Safety | 88 ✦ | 74 |
| Getting around | ||
| Commute to Boston | 18 min ✦ | 10 min |
| Walkability | 81 | 90 ✦ |
| Transit | 67 | 70 ✦ |
| Biking | 74 | 96 ✦ |
| Lifestyle | ||
| Dining | 92 | 96 ✦ |
| Nightlife | 78 | 78 |
| Arts & culture | 88 | 95 ✦ |
| Green space | 78 ✦ | 60 |
| Community | ||
| Diversity | 82 | 90 ✦ |
| Climate | 72 ✦ | 71 |
| 5-yr trend | 76 | 80 ✦ |
Clay = wins this metric. Direction matters: lower median home and shorter commute are better; everything else, higher is better.
Compare on your terms
These winners are based on a neutral, equal weighting of every metric. Your priorities are not neutral. Open Brookline vs Cambridge in the interactive atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and watch the verdict change.
Stuck between Brookline and Cambridge?
I'm Gary Fikes, a licensed real estate agent at MP Signature Realty and the curator of this site. I've walked both towns. Tell me what matters most and I'll give you a straight answer within 1 business day. No auto-dialer, no spam, no resale.
About this comparison
Bay State Atlas ranks 194 Massachusetts towns using public data (Census ACS, MA DESE schools, Walk Score, MA Department of Revenue tax data, and the FBI UCR safety index) normalized to 0–100. Every weight is editable. This page is a static, indexable snapshot. The live tool is faster and lets you customize what counts.