Retiring in Hull, MA: The Cluster's Most Affordable Coast, and a Ferry Instead of a Train

Home Values: The Most Affordable Town in the Cluster, by Every Measure

Three separate sources agree on the same basic point, even though they don't agree on the exact number: Hull is the least expensive town in this five-town South Shore cluster. Zillow's home-value index (ZHVI) puts Hull's average home value at $731,712, up 2.2% year-over-year as of late June 2026, with a median list price of $792,333, 70 homes for sale, and homes typically going to pending in 25 days. Redfin separately reports a median sale price of $725,000 (November 2025 data), up 19.8% year-over-year, with homes selling in a median of 39 days. Ownwell's property-tax trends page gives a lower figure still: a median home value of $536,850, likely reflecting a broader, assessed-value-based measure rather than a recent-transaction or index figure.

This page won't blend those three numbers into one invented figure, since they reflect different methodologies and data vintages — exactly the same discipline this cluster's other town pages have applied. What's consistent across all three: Hull sits meaningfully below every other town in this cluster's own research. Cohasset's Zillow ZHVI is $1,474,056, Scituate's is $1,040,218, and Marshfield's is $803,822; Duxbury, the cluster's other higher-priced town, is confirmed elsewhere in this site's own research to run above Hull as well. For a retiree whose budget is the deciding factor in choosing a South Shore coastal town, that gap is the single most important fact on this page.

A retiree weighing a specific purchase should treat these town-wide figures as a starting point, not a substitute for an actual appraisal or comparable-sales analysis on the property in question. A Massachusetts-licensed real estate agent can translate Hull's town-wide numbers into what a specific Hull Village, Pemberton, Allerton Hill, or Nantasket Beach property is realistically worth.

Property Tax: A Rate That Couldn't Be Confirmed — Verify Directly With the Town

Unlike some other towns in this cluster, this page cannot state Hull's current property tax rate in dollars per $1,000 of assessed value. Direct attempts to pull that figure from the Town of Hull Assessors' Office's own tax-rate page, and from two separate statewide comparison tables, did not return Hull's specific line item in the research behind this page. That is a real gap, not an oversight to gloss over: a retiree budgeting a Hull purchase should contact the Town of Hull Assessors' Office directly for the current nominal rate before assuming anything based on figures elsewhere in this cluster's research.

The best available proxy comes from Ownwell's property-tax trends page: a median effective tax rate of 1.12%, against a stated Massachusetts state median of 1.15% and a U.S. median of 1.02%. That would suggest Hull's effective rate may run slightly below the state median — but this is an inference from an effective-rate estimate, not a confirmed nominal $/1,000 figure, and it should be treated accordingly. The same source gives a median home value of $536,850 and a median annual tax bill of $6,012, well above the stated national median of $2,400 but below the tax bills documented elsewhere in this cluster's more expensive towns.

For an actual number to budget against, ask the Assessors' Office for the current rate and, ideally, the specific assessed value of any property under consideration — a town-wide median or an effective-rate estimate is not a substitute for that conversation.

The MBTA Ferry From Pemberton Point: A Different Kind of Car-Free Access to Boston

Cohasset and Scituate, elsewhere in this cluster, offer in-town MBTA commuter-rail stations on the Greenbush Line. Hull has no rail service at all — its distinctive transit asset is the MBTA ferry instead, and it's a genuinely strong one for a retiree who wants occasional car-free trips into Boston without a 20-mile drive. Two year-round routes share the Hingham/Hull corridor: F1 runs direct between Hingham and Rowes Wharf, and F2H connects Hingham, Hull's own Pemberton Point terminal, Logan Airport, and Long Wharf. The MBTA operates the route in partnership with Boston Harbor City Cruises and Bay State Cruise Company.

General service runs roughly 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays, with a one-way fare of $9.75, round-trip and monthly pass options, and MBTA Commuter Rail Zone 6-and-above passes accepted. Seniors and riders with disabilities receive roughly half-fare pricing. The Logan Airport stop connects to a free Massport shuttle serving all airport terminals, and the route makes a seasonal stop at Georges Island in Boston Harbor. The reason this matters more here than almost anywhere else on the South Shore: Hull is roughly 20 miles from Boston by land but only about 5 miles by water, making the ferry a genuinely competitive route, not just a scenic novelty, for a medical appointment, a family visit, or a museum trip.

Pemberton Point itself sits within Hull, meaning residents can board a direct-to-Boston-Harbor ferry without first driving to a neighboring town's station — a real, practical amenity. This page did not confirm current sailing frequency or precise crossing times for the F2H run; anyone planning to rely on the ferry regularly should pull the MBTA's own current schedule directly rather than assume a particular trip frequency.

Fort Revere, the Paragon Carousel, and Hull's Community Landmarks

Beyond price and transit, Hull offers a handful of genuine, still-standing community touchstones worth knowing about before you buy. Fort Revere Park, an 8-acre park operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation on Telegraph Hill, preserves layers of coastal-defense history running from a 1776 Revolutionary War fortification through Endicott-era batteries built 1898–1906, with a historic water tower topped by a public observation deck and the former officers' quarters now housing a small museum. Current hours and observation-deck access should be verified directly with DCR before a visit.

The Paragon Carousel, at 1 Wharf Avenue, is the sole surviving element of the Paragon Park amusement park that operated alongside Nantasket Beach for 79 years before closing in 1984. Built in 1928 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, it's one of Massachusetts's only surviving four-wide carousels, with 66 wooden horses and two Roman-style chariots, housed in a distinctive twelve-sided building. When Paragon Park closed, a local preservation committee purchased most of the carousel's pieces at auction to keep them from being dispersed; the restored carousel reopened at its current site in 1986 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. It's run today by the Friends of the Paragon Carousel, with music from a vintage Wurlitzer band organ — a genuine, still-operating community landmark, not a recreation.

Two more touchstones round out the picture. Hull Yacht Club, founded in 1880 by thirteen local sailboat owners and formally incorporated in 1882, still operates on the same amateur, owner-skippered "Corinthian" philosophy it was founded on. And the Hull Lifesaving Museum occupies the former Point Allerton Life-Saving Station, honoring Joshua James, a Hull-born rescuer credited with saving more than 500 lives across a six-decade career and commemorated each May 23 as "Joshua James Day" at his grave in Hull Village Cemetery. Together, these give a retiree drawn to genuine maritime and small-town history a lot to work with in a town this compact.

The Honest Hedge: Schools Rank Lowest in the Cluster, and Income Figures Vary

Hull's public schools carry an overall "B" grade from Niche, described in that source's own language as "an above average public school district," and its 8:1 student-teacher ratio compares favorably to a stated 16:1 national average. But within this cluster specifically, Hull's #128 of 217 Massachusetts statewide ranking is meaningfully the lowest of the five towns, trailing Duxbury (#20), Scituate (#45), Cohasset (#47), and Marshfield (#61). For most retirees, school quality is a secondary concern at best. But it's worth an honest mention for anyone who expects visiting grandchildren to spend real time in the district, or who is weighing eventual resale to a family with school-age children, since school rankings can factor into that buyer pool's decision even when they don't factor into yours.

Household income figures for Hull are genuinely mixed and worth presenting as a range rather than a single number: Wikipedia's own town profile gives a median household income of $128,022, while DataUSA gives a more recent figure of $115,485. Both sit in a broadly similar band, roughly $115,000 to $128,000, but they don't agree exactly, and this page won't manufacture false precision by picking one. A retiree using income data to gauge a community's general profile should treat that range, not either single figure, as the honest answer.

What This Means If You're Weighing Retirement in Hull

Hull earns its place on a retirement-focused page for a specific, cost-driven reason: it is the most affordable town in this South Shore cluster by every home-value measure available, while still offering a genuine ferry route to Boston, a National Register carousel that still runs, an 8-acre DCR park with real coastal-defense history, and a decorated maritime-rescue legacy in Joshua James and the Hull Lifesaving Museum. Set against that: a property tax rate that could not be confirmed and needs a direct call to the Assessors' Office, the lowest-ranked school district in the cluster, and a peninsula geography that is narrow, densely populated, and worth understanding on its own terms before you commit. None of that makes Hull the wrong choice — for many retirees prioritizing affordability and car-free access to Boston over school quality or elbow room, it may be the strongest fit in the whole cluster. It just means going in with clear eyes about which side of the ledger matters most to you.

Nothing on this page should be read as medical, legal, financial, or tax advice. For a current property tax rate or a specific parcel's assessed value, consult the Town of Hull Assessors' Office directly. For healthcare access and planning, consult a licensed physician or a local health system directly. For estate planning, tax strategy, or the financial mechanics of a retirement move, consult a licensed attorney, accountant, or financial advisor. And for the condition, price, and current status of any specific property, work with a Massachusetts-licensed real estate agent.