Barnstable County, MA real estate

What the numbers say

Barnstable County, MA real estate at a glance

By AstroCore · Realtor.com, US Census and Freddie Mac data

In September 2026, the median home in Barnstable County listed for $899,000, down 2.5% from a year earlier. That is 26% above the Massachusetts median of $714,250.

Homes spent a median of 56 days on the market, faster than 63 days a year ago. That makes Barnstable County the #11 fastest-selling of 12 Massachusetts counties we track.

Homeowners in Barnstable County pay a median of $4,239 a year in property taxes on a median home value of $629,000, an effective rate of about 0.67%. The Massachusetts average is 1.07%, which makes Barnstable County the #4 lowest-tax of 14 counties in the state with published tax data.

Renters pay a median of $1,678 a month, and $1,785 for a two-bedroom. At today's prices a typical home costs about 45 times a year's rent, which generally favors renting over buying in the short term.

With 20% down and today's 7.24% average 30-year rate, the monthly payment on a $899,000 home here comes to about $5,781 including property tax and insurance. Lenders typically want that to be under 28% of income, which works out to roughly $248,000 a year (the median household here earns $95,241).