Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Malden costs more to live in than 92% of U.S. towns
It ranks #224 of 282 in Massachusetts for affordability. Up 1.8% in a year, close to the Massachusetts typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area ($116K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Malden’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($116K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 27% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 51% of renters.
In dollars
- $668Ktypical home, 2% above the Massachusetts typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $3,030a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 108prices across the Boston metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 148)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 5.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$116K, Boston-area income
- 23%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 51%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Massachusetts: 52%Census 2020–24
- 27%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Malden, in brief
About three in four homes sell above asking
In May, 73% of the homes that sold went for more than the asking price and 56% went under contract within two weeks. There were about 2 months of homes for sale at that pace, against 2.6 across Massachusetts: 53 listings for 26 sales that month. Expect competition on well-priced homes. How fast homes sell ↓
Homes haven’t kept up with new residents
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Malden gained 6,813 residents while 82 new homes were permitted: about 83.1 new residents per new home, against 3.4 across Massachusetts. New homes ↓
Most Malden households rent
59% of households rent their home, 14,512 in all, against 38% across Massachusetts. Renting ↓
A burst of building in 2023
Malden permitted 112 new homes in 2023, 98% of them in buildings with two or more homes, against about 21 in a typical year of the past decade. 2025 came in at 52. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Malden’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Malden is more affordable than 8% of U.S. towns, #224 of 282 in Massachusetts. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have lagged Massachusetts: the typical Malden home is up 18.6% in five years, against 25.7% statewide (Zillow).
Up 18.6% in five years
Slower than Massachusetts (25.7%).
Show as a table
| January | Malden | Massachusetts |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $397,000 | $378,000 |
| 2018 | $441,000 | $402,000 |
| 2019 | $474,000 | $421,000 |
| 2020 | $485,000 | $433,000 |
| 2021 | $535,000 | $479,000 |
| 2022 | $563,000 | $529,000 |
| 2023 | $589,000 | $565,000 |
| 2024 | $636,000 | $609,000 |
| 2025 | $666,000 | $640,000 |
| 2026 | $668,000 | $650,000 |
| September 2026 | $668,000 | $655,000 |
A typical Malden home worth $388K in October 2016 is worth about $668K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A seller's market
Supply is tight — about 2 months of homes for sale at the current pace. Buyers should expect competition on well-priced homes.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A typical home costs 5.5 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Malden’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $209K short of a typical Malden home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $3,030 a month here, $910 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Malden’s typical property tax (0.79% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $3,030
Renters already here pay a median of $2,204, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
52 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 52 new homes in Malden in 2025: 6 single-family houses and 46 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $2.1 million to build. That's 0.8 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Massachusetts (1.8). Over the past 10 years, Malden has permitted 304 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Malden gained 6,813 residents while 82 new homes were permitted: about 83 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across Massachusetts: 3.4 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 22 | 4 | 18 | $2.2 million |
| 2025 | 52 | 6 | 46 | $2.1 million |
| 2024 | 80 | 0 | 80 | $9.3 million |
| 2023 | 112 | 2 | 110 | $40.8 million |
| 2022 | 30 | 0 | 30 | $2.9 million |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $500,000 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 6 | 4 | 2 | $1.3 million |
| 2018 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $680,000 |
| 2017 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $797,000 |
| 2016 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2015 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2014 | 12 | 10 | 2 | $1.2 million |
| 2013 | 10 | 8 | 2 | $1 million |
| 2012 | 12 | 6 | 6 | $1.1 million |
| 2011 | 9 | 5 | 4 | $828,000 |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 5 | 3 | 2 | $628,000 |
| 2008 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $307,000 |
| 2007 | 84 | 18 | 66 | $6.7 million |
| 2006 | 87 | 16 | 71 | $7 million |
| 2005 | 40 | 22 | 18 | $3.9 million |
| 2004 | 498 | 28 | 470 | $50 million |
| 2003 | 55 | 48 | 7 | $3.9 million |
| 2002 | 36 | 25 | 11 | $2.9 million |
| 2001 | 34 | 19 | 15 | $2.4 million |
| 2000 | 37 | 17 | 20 | $1.3 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Massachusetts norm
The median bill is $4,995 (Massachusetts: $5,992), 0.79% of a home’s value a year, against 1.07% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Malden
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, or Massachusetts. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 108 | MA 106 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 100 | MA 99 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 149 | MA 152 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 104 | MA 103 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Malden vs. its neighbors
Of the 5 towns here with a Zillow value, Malden has the 3rd-lowest.
Questions about the cost of living in Malden
Is Malden expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Malden costs more than 92% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living, #224 of 282 in Massachusetts. The typical home costs 5.5 years of the median household income of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area ($116K).
How much does a house cost in Malden?
About $668K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 1.8% in a year. The Massachusetts typical home is $655K.
What salary do you need to live in Malden?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $169,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,940 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $121,000.
How much is rent in Malden?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $3,030 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $2,204 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Malden?
The median bill is $4,995 a year, 0.79% of the median home value (Massachusetts: $5,992, 1.07%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Malden going up?
Yes: up 1.8% in the past year and 18.6% in five years, against 25.7% across Massachusetts (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Malden buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.