Move-in Cost Estimator
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Add up first month, last month, deposit and any broker fee to see the cash you need before you get the keys.
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Loading Move-in Cost Estimator…
Add up first month, last month, deposit and any broker fee to see the cash you need before you get the keys.
Loading the latest information…
Most renters in Boston pay first month's rent, last month's rent, and a security deposit before they get the keys — often around three months of rent in cash. A 2025 state law changed who pays the broker fee, so for many renters that's no longer part of the bill.
The rent for the apartment you're looking at.
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An estimate of common charges, not advice
Before August 1, 2025, Boston renters were routinely charged a broker's fee — usually a full month's rent — even when the broker worked for the landlord. Under the 2025 law, a landlord can no longer require you to pay the fee for a broker the landlord engaged. You only owe a broker fee if you hired your own broker. For many renters this brought the typical up-front cost down from about four months to about three.
Source: Mass.gov broker fee advisory (2025), checked June 20, 2026 (2 months ago).
A security deposit can be no more than one month's rent. The landlord must hold it in a separate Massachusetts bank account, pay you interest on it, and give you a receipt and a written statement of the apartment's condition. You get it back, minus lawful deductions, after you move out.
Source: Mass.gov: Security deposits, checked June 20, 2026 (2 months ago).
≈ 3 months’ rent
First month's rent · Last month's rent · Security deposit
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