Living in Eastham, Massachusetts: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 1.6% below the U.S. average in the Barnstable Town metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 10 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood17 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 2.9 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 6.9 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town2 public schools: 1 elementary and 1 high school.
A hospital close byCape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, about 20 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityBoston is about 63 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Eastham meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Eastham runs into the built-up area around Barnstable (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

Tourist town. About 53% of homes are vacation or seasonal homes, a sign of a visitor economy. More restaurants, shops and weekend events than locals alone could support, with the small-town basics intact.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $732,200U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 22%Barnstable County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,747 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $72,992U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 88%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $4,973 a yearMassachusetts: $5,992
Homes built before 1940: 9%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 5%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 53%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 98.4U.S. average = 100 (the Barnstable Town metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 22% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Barnstable Town metro area, not Eastham alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 5,8442020: 5,749
Median age: 60.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 41%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 13%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 54%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 6%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (29%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (17%); construction (15%)
Unemployment rate: 10%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 19 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 20%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 11%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Cape Cod Hospital, Hyannis, MA, about 20 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 2 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

2 public schools in Eastham, run by Eastham and Nauset.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Massachusetts's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 82%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 92%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 26°F
July average high: 79°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 1 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 92 a year
Rain and melted snow: 45.9 inches a year
Snow: 24 inches a year
Elevation: 35 feet

Weather stations: Chatham Muni Ap (11 miles away) and Chatham (13 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Cape Cod HospitalEmergency room20

Barnstable, MACity of 50,00023

Boston, MAMetro of 5 million63

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Cape Cod Hospital, Barnstable, Boston.

Barnstable County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

8 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Collins Cottages Historic District, the Eastham Center Historic District, the Fort Hill Rural Historic District and the Old Town Center Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Cape Cod National Seashore1 mile
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park50 miles
Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area54 miles
Adams National Historical Park60 miles

Read about Eastham's history on Wikipedia.

Know Eastham?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Orleans, MA6,500 people, 5 miles
Wellfleet, MA3,700 people, 6 miles
Brewster, MA10,500 people, 8 miles
Harwich, MA13,600 people, 11 miles
Truro, MA2,500 people, 12 miles
Dennis, MA14,900 people, 13 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.