Moving to
South Yarmouth.

All South Yarmouth data Compare South Yarmouth

11,552people live here $82,188median household incomeNear US average $1,806median rent per month▲ 28% above US $541,700median home value▲ 63% above US

South Yarmouth is an unincorporated community in Barnstable County, MA. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in South Yarmouth

South Yarmouth is an unincorporated community in Massachusetts with air quality that stays clean most of the year and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. South Yarmouth deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and cold winters.

The good

Clean air
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High home prices
High rent burden for renters
Cold winters
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options

How South Yarmouth compares

Median household income

South Yarmouth$82,188

Massachusetts avg$103,960

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

South Yarmouth$1,806

Massachusetts avg$1,762

US$1,413

Median home value

South Yarmouth$541,700

Massachusetts avg$562,100

US$332,700

What it takes to move to South Yarmouth

Based on South Yarmouth's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,612

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $72,240 a year
79% of South Yarmouth renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$108,340

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $54,170
Homes cost 6.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 28% above US

$1,806/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,806 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are steep, with a median around $541,700. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $541,700 · 79% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

5.2% county unemployment

Unemployment in Barnstable County is 5.2%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Barnstable County (county-wide)

Safety

290 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

South Yarmouth doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Yarmouth Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs close to the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 671/100k · Policed by Yarmouth Police Department (township-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

24 min average commute

Commutes are reasonable, averaging 23.8 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 6% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

80%

Carpool

7.0%

Work from home

6.0%

Other

4.5%

Public transit

2.9%

Climate

Summers are comfortable, with highs around 75°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 26°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforceNear US average

34% bachelor's degree or higher

Education levels run about average, with 34% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.

Schools

4 public schools inside the boundary

There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 12:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Cape Cod National Seashore (19 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

South Yarmouth's strongest point is air quality that stays clean most of the year; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,806/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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