Boston-Cambridge-Newton vs Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom: Housing Market Comparison (2026)

Side-by-side Alpha Scores, affordability, momentum, supply, jobs, and rental yield · as of May 2026

Boston-Cambridge-Newton vs Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom side by side

Metric Boston-Cambridge-Newton Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom
Alpha Score2625
Price Momentum5050
Inventory Health25
Affordability96
Economic Strength3634
Rental Yield4239
Median Sale Price
Price-to-Income5.46.0
Payment-to-Income33.3%36.5%
Months of Supply
Gross Rental Yield3.8%3.7%
Overvaluation Index4040

Highlighted = the stronger read for that metric (supply, valuation, and payment burden are better when lower). Income/rent inputs lag annually.

How Boston-Cambridge-Newton and Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom compare, dimension by dimension

  • Affordability: Boston-Cambridge-Newton leads — Boston-Cambridge-Newton 9/100 vs Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom 6/100.
  • Price Momentum: Boston-Cambridge-Newton and Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom score the same (50/100).
  • Inventory Health: Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom leads — Boston-Cambridge-Newton 2/100 vs Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom 5/100.
  • Economic Strength: Boston-Cambridge-Newton leads — Boston-Cambridge-Newton 36/100 vs Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom 34/100.
  • Rental Yield: Boston-Cambridge-Newton leads — Boston-Cambridge-Newton 42/100 vs Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom 39/100.

Frequently asked questions

Which has a higher Alpha Score, Boston-Cambridge-Newton or Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom?

Boston-Cambridge-Newton scores higher — 26 vs 25 out of 100. The Alpha Score is a 0-100 composite of price momentum, inventory health, affordability, economic strength, and rental yield.

Is Boston-Cambridge-Newton or Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom more affordable?

Boston-Cambridge-Newton is more affordable on our affordability dimension. Price-to-income is 5.4 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton and 6.0 in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom.

Which housing market has stronger momentum, Boston-Cambridge-Newton or Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom?

Both markets show similar price momentum (about 50/100).

Want to swap in other cities, change the metrics, or chart the trend over time? Customize this comparison → in the interactive Compare tool. Or read the Boston-Cambridge-Newton market brief and the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom brief.