Explore exclusive listings of homes for sale in Cape Cod, MA with premier Cape Cod real estate agents Tony Guthrie and Alfred Schofield.
Everything you need to know about Cape Cod real estate: fifteen distinct towns, a market defined by scarcity, and why buyers from Boston to New York keep making this peninsula home.
Your Complete Coastal Massachusetts Guide · Updated August 2026
the population Cape Cod swells to each summer, more than double its roughly 232,000 year-round residents, according to Barnstable County estimates. The county's year-round population has held essentially flat in recent years, but its housing market tells a very different story: the median single-family sale price has climbed from $433,000 in 2019 to $789,500 by the end of 2025.
Cape Cod's cost of living runs roughly 28% above the national average, with housing the single largest factor. Competition on the Cape is intense because supply is genuinely limited, land is finite on a peninsula, and demand keeps arriving from out-of-state buyers, particularly from Boston and New York, seeking vacation homes or a permanent move to a quieter coastal lifestyle.
Category | Cape Cod / Barnstable County | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
Median Single-Family Sale Price | $789,500 (end of 2025) | ~$372,000 |
Median Household Income | ~$95,000 | ~$80,000 |
State Income Tax | 5% flat (Massachusetts) | varies |
Homeownership Rate | 81.1% | ~65% |
Barnstable County is comprised of fifteen towns spanning the Upper, Mid, Lower, and Outer Cape, and Cape Cod real estate genuinely behaves like a collection of distinct markets rather than one region. Each town has its own character, price point, and pace.
$1.465M median
The Cape's premium anchor town, on the elbow of the peninsula, known for its picturesque downtown, iconic lighthouse, and grand waterfront estates. A selective, unhurried buyer pool that rewards presentation and pricing precision.
$777.5K median
The Cape's volume-and-value town on the Upper Cape, moving homes quickly, a median of just 26 days on market, with strong access to the Woods Hole ferry and mainland connections.
$722K median
The county seat and the Cape's highest-volume town, encompassing Hyannis and several villages, a genuine anchor for year-round life as much as summer living.
One of the Cape's most exclusive villages, home to significant waterfront compounds along Nantucket Sound and a longstanding summer-colony character.
Mid and Lower Cape towns balancing classic Cape charm, strong access to National Seashore beaches, and a mix of village centers and waterfront communities along Pleasant Bay and Cape Cod Bay.
~$348/sq.ft.
The Cape's most accessible price point, split by the Cape Cod Canal itself, with easy on-and-off-Cape access and a genuine value proposition for buyers priced out of the Mid and Lower Cape.
The Guthrie Schofield Group also covers Cotuit, a quintessential Cape village, and can guide buyers to the right town among all fifteen based on lifestyle, budget, and timeline.
Cape Cod's climate is genuinely moderated by the surrounding Atlantic: summers stay cooler and winters stay milder than inland Massachusetts, including Boston. Locals call the warm, sunny stretch that often extends into September and October "Second Summer," one of the best-kept secrets of living here year-round.
Highs in the 70s to low 80s°F, cool ocean-breeze evenings. Mild and rarely uncomfortable.
Highs in the 30s-40s°F, lows in the 20s. Chilly, but consistently milder than inland New England.
Transitional and changeable, with "Second Summer" often stretching warm days into October.
56° / 44°
Ocean-Moderated
Quahog Day
Cape Cod's traditional economy runs on tourism, hospitality, fishing and shellfishing, and healthcare, with employment swelling dramatically each summer. The rise of remote work has added a genuinely new dimension: buyers who once came only for the season are increasingly relocating full-time, drawn by homes with real office space and the ability to work from anywhere.
Each Cape Cod town operates its own school district or belongs to a regional district shared with neighboring towns, reflecting the peninsula's smaller, more dispersed year-round population. Because so much of Cape Cod's housing market serves retirees and second-home buyers, school quality tends to weigh less heavily here than in a typical suburban market, though the Cape's districts are generally well regarded.
Every car trip on or off the Cape crosses the Cape Cod Canal via the Sagamore or Bourne Bridge, both of which see significant seasonal congestion on summer weekends. Route 6 runs the length of the peninsula from the canal to Provincetown, and ferries connect Hyannis and Falmouth's Woods Hole to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.
The Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority provides bus service across the peninsula, but a car remains the practical way to get around outside the walkable village centers. Bridge traffic is a genuine, well-known seasonal reality, plan accordingly on summer Fridays and Sundays.
Cape Cod is widely regarded as safe, and overall crime across the peninsula runs below both the Massachusetts and national averages. The one honest caveat: property crime, particularly break-ins at vacant seasonal homes, is more common here than violent crime, a direct consequence of how many Cape properties sit empty for long stretches outside the summer season.
Cape Cod's lifestyle is genuinely built around the water, and the peninsula's natural beauty and history draw visitors and residents alike, year after year.
Barnstable County's median single-family price has climbed from $433,000 in 2019 to $789,500 by the end of 2025, a dramatic trajectory. But the county figure hides real, meaningful variation town to town. The spread between Provincetown, at roughly $1,511 per square foot, and Bourne, at roughly $348 per square foot, tells you more about this market than any single number could: Cape Cod isn't one market, it's a dozen micro-markets sharing a bridge.
Whether you're searching for Cape Cod homes for sale or preparing to list a family property, knowing which of the fifteen towns you're really buying or selling into matters more here than almost anywhere else in coastal Massachusetts.
Explore Cape Cod Town by Town
Sources & References
All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be independently reviewed and verified.
The Guthrie Schofield Group brings white-glove service and deep market knowledge to buyers and sellers across all fifteen towns of Cape Cod. Whether you're searching for a waterfront estate in Chatham, a village home in Cotuit, or your first step into Cape Cod real estate, our team is here to guide you to your real estate objectives.
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