Commercial Real Estate Market in Chatham, MA
Updated monthly: sale, lease, property records, location trend, and more… · Last update: October 31
53 active listings and 607 off-market properties in Chatham, MA. Commercial property asks $432/SF to buy and $33.64/SF/Yr to lease.
Market Trends
Chatham, MA spans 8.6 square miles in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. Figures below refresh monthly; last updated 31 October 2026.
Office
Across Barnstable County, office space asks $315/SF to buy. Office vacancy in Chatham, MA runs 19.9% across the Northeast region in 2025, up from 13.1% in 2019.
Retail
Across Barnstable County, retail space asks $373/SF to buy. Retail vacancy in Chatham, MA runs 6% across the Northeast region in 2025, little changed from 6% in 2019. Down from a 2020 peak of 7.1%.
Industrial
Industrial vacancy in Chatham, MA runs 7.6% across the Northeast region in 2025, up from 5.4% in 2019. Nearly 2.4x the 2021 low of 3.2%.
Multifamily
Across Barnstable County, multifamily space asks $567/SF to buy. Multifamily vacancy in Chatham, MA runs 5.6% across the Northeast region in 2025, up from 4% in 2022.
Zoning & Land Use
Land Use Mix share of zoned land by category
- Residential 79.2%
- Open space 4.6%
- Commercial 2.3%
- Industrial 1%
Largest Zones share of zoned land by district
Chatham, MA zones 8,095 acres across 15 districts. Commercial zoning covers 2.3% of zoned land, residential 79.2%, open space 4.6% and industrial 1%. The largest single district is Residential 40 at 29.5%. For commercial buyers the practical constraint is that only 3.3% of land carries a commercial or industrial designation.
Permitted in the R60, R40, R20, R20A, SB and GB Districts as follows: a. The use shall be located within a residence and operated by an owner-occupant. b. The residential lot shall contain not less than ten thousand (10,000) square feet of buildable upland as required by Section III, D. 3. of this Bylaw. This requirement may be waived if the dwelling is conn…
Market overview
Demographics & Economy
Chatham, MA has 4,664 residents in 5,425 households. Density runs 540 people per square mile. Median household income here is $94,036 and median gross rent $1,005 a month.
Tools
Lease vs Buy Breakeven
At $33.64/SF/Yr lease vs $432/SF buy → buying wins if held > 2.4 years.
At a 7.8% gross asking yield the payback reads short relative to leasing. Assumes 30% down at 6.5% fixed, 2% a year in taxes and upkeep, 3% appreciation, 5% opportunity cost, 2% closing plus 5% selling costs, and a 3% annual rent escalator.
Nearby Markets
| Market | Median Asking Price, $/SF | Median Asking Rent, $/SF/Yr |
|---|---|---|
| Harwich | $350 | $18.00 |
| Orleans | $389 | $37.15 |
| Brewster | $356 | — |
| Eastham | $407 | $12.50 |
Commercial property in Chatham, MA asks $432/SF. The 4 bordering markets run from $350/SF in Harwich to $407/SF in Eastham, and the city sits above their $373/SF median.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median price per square foot for commercial property in Chatham?
How much does it cost to lease commercial space in Chatham?
Is it cheaper to lease or buy commercial space in Chatham?
How does Chatham compare to nearby markets on price?
What zoning applies to commercial property in Chatham?
Where does Realmo's Chatham market data come from?
Methodology & data sources
- Asking prices and medians
- There are 33 active for-sale and 20 active for-lease listings in Chatham, MA. The medians are based on 18 of the for-sale and 10 of the for-lease listings, those that state a price or rent per square foot. These are ASKING figures from live listings, not closed-transaction prices, and a figure resting on fewer than 10 listings says so where it is quoted.
- Vacancy rates
- Published per-sector market series, taken at the metro level where one exists and otherwise at the Census-region level — a chart reading "in <region> region" is a regional number, not this city's.
- Zoning and land use
- The current municipal zoning release: 8,095 zoned acres across 15 districts. Shares are of zoned land, so parcels the release leaves unclassified are excluded from the mix.
- Refresh
- The monthly aggregates close at the end of the previous month, so 31 October 2026 — not today — is the honest last update.
- Known limitations
- office vacancy is reported at Northeast region level, retail vacancy is reported at Northeast region level and industrial vacancy is reported at Northeast region level.
- Coverage
- Metrics below the 10-observation threshold fall back one geographic level. The geography used is named on each figure.
Compiled by the Realmo Data team · reviewed 31 October 2026 · How Realmo checks market page data · Report a data issue
