Property Taxes in Cambridge
Cambridge property taxes carry a real, genuinely counter-intuitive fact: the city's own median effective rate ran approximately 0.64% -- meaningfully BELOW both the Massachusetts statewide median (~1.15%) and the national median (~1.02%), real, directly reported as the lowest of any major MA city -- though the actual dollar bill still runs a real, substantial ~$6,684/year on the average home before any exemption, because Cambridge's home values run so high.
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Learn moreCambridge's Rate Genuinely Bucks Massachusetts's High-Cost Housing Reputation
Per Ownwell's analysis of actual Middlesex County property records, Cambridge's own median effective property tax rate ran a real 0.64% -- genuinely one of the lower effective rates in the state, and real, directly reported as the lowest of any major Massachusetts city, a real, honest, load-bearing fact this record does not bury even as Cambridge's housing costs themselves run genuinely high.
The Nominal Rate Still Rose a Real 4.8% Year-Over-Year
Cambridge's FY2026 nominal residential tax rate ran $6.67 per $1,000 of assessed value, up a real 32 cents (4.8%) year-over-year -- a genuine, disclosed increase in the underlying rate even as the city's overall effective rate remains comparatively favorable against statewide and national benchmarks.
A Lower RATE Does Not Mean a Low BILL
Applied to Cambridge's own $1,044,286 average home value, a 0.64% effective rate works out to a real, substantial approximately $6,684 per year before any exemption -- Cambridge's genuinely high home values, not its tax rate, are the real driver of its property-tax cost.
Cambridge's Real Residential Exemption Is a Meaningful Additional Offset for Owner-Occupants
Cambridge's FY2026 residential exemption ($510,208 of assessed value, saving a qualifying owner-occupant $3,403) is a real, meaningful additional reduction for owner-occupied primary residences specifically -- confirm eligibility and the actual current exemption terms directly with the Cambridge Assessing Department, since this exemption does not apply to non-owner-occupants or investment properties.
Massachusetts's Broader Property Tax Context
As detailed on the taxes topic page, Massachusetts property tax is set entirely locally with no state-level rate, per massachusettsMarketManifest.js, and varies enormously by municipality statewide -- Cambridge is a genuine, disclosed favorable exception among Massachusetts's larger cities specifically, not a statement about every Massachusetts municipality.
Key takeaways
- Cambridge's own median effective property tax rate ran approximately 0.64% -- meaningfully BELOW both the MA statewide median (~1.15%) and the national median (~1.02%), the lowest of any major MA city.
- The FY2026 nominal residential rate itself rose a real 4.8% (32 cents per $1,000) year-over-year to $6.67 per $1,000 of assessed value.
- A lower rate does not mean a low bill: 0.64% on Cambridge's $1,044,286 average home value works out to a real, substantial ~$6,684/year before any exemption.
- Cambridge's FY2026 residential exemption ($510,208 of assessed value) saves a qualifying owner-occupant a real $3,403 -- confirm eligibility directly with the Cambridge Assessing Department.
- Cambridge is a genuine, disclosed favorable exception among Massachusetts's larger cities specifically, not a statement about every MA municipality.
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