Coronavirus Worsening Cape and Islands' Housing Affordability

BARNSTABLE, MA — Financial disruptions from the coronavirus pandemic have made Cape Cod and the Islands even more unaffordable, according to regional officials.

On a call with the Cape Cod Reopening Task Force, State Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, said he's worried housing market tend linked to COVID-19 "will only exacerbate how Cape Cod is so profoundly unaffordable." Cyr added that the Cape and Islands region already lacked affordable places to live, WBUR reported. An economy weakened by the pandemic has made that issue even worse for first-time homebuyers, Cyr said.

"Cape Codders of my generation are struggling to make a life here," Cyr said.

Housing prices in the region reflected the affordability issues Cyr and other officials highlighted. In June, the median price for a single family home in Massachusetts was $415,000, according to the Warren Group. The median price was $422,500 in Barnstable County, $871,500 in Dukes County and more than 1.67 million in Nantucket County.

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