Boston-Cambridge-Newton vs St. Louis: Housing Market Comparison (2026)

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

Boston-Cambridge-Newton vs St. Louis side by side

Metric Boston-Cambridge-Newton St. Louis
Alpha Score2634
Price Momentum5050
Inventory Health23
Affordability955
Economic Strength3631
Rental Yield4242
Median Sale Price
Price-to-Income5.43.0
Payment-to-Income33.3%18.2%
Months of Supply
Gross Rental Yield3.8%5.5%
Overvaluation Index400

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 St. Louis compare, dimension by dimension

  • Affordability: St. Louis leads — Boston-Cambridge-Newton 9/100 vs St. Louis 55/100.
  • Price Momentum: Boston-Cambridge-Newton and St. Louis score the same (50/100).
  • Inventory Health: St. Louis leads — Boston-Cambridge-Newton 2/100 vs St. Louis 3/100.
  • Economic Strength: Boston-Cambridge-Newton leads — Boston-Cambridge-Newton 36/100 vs St. Louis 31/100.
  • Rental Yield: Boston-Cambridge-Newton and St. Louis score the same (42/100).

Frequently asked questions

Which has a higher Alpha Score, Boston-Cambridge-Newton or St. Louis?

St. Louis scores higher — 34 vs 26 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 St. Louis more affordable?

St. Louis is more affordable on our affordability dimension. Price-to-income is 5.4 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton and 3.0 in St. Louis.

Which housing market has stronger momentum, Boston-Cambridge-Newton or St. Louis?

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 St. Louis brief.