Outer Cape prices are splitting, not moving in one line
The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices rose 2.6% year over year through July 2026. That one national number sounds tidy. The Outer Cape is anything but tidy right now.
The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted sales across eight Outer Cape ZIP codes for the three months ending August 31, 2026. Median prices ran from $757,500 in North Truro all the way to $2,375,000 in North Chatham. That is a $1.6 million spread inside one region. Some towns are up. Some are down. They are not moving together.
Where prices landed, town by town
- 1North Chatham$2,375,000
- 2Truro$1,572,500
- 3Provincetown$1,300,000
- 4Chatham$1,250,000
- 5Wellfleet$895,000
- 6Orleans$876,250
- 7Eastham$852,750
- 8North Truro$757,500
Prices are not all heading the same way either. Some towns moved up sharply. Others slipped.
Which towns went up, which went down
| Town | Median price | Change vs. last year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provincetown | Provincetown | $1,300,000 | up 23.8% |
| Eastham | Eastham | $852,750 | up 16.8% |
| North Chatham | North Chatham | $2,375,000 | up 13.1% |
| Orleans | Orleans | $876,250 | down 2.6% |
| Chatham | Chatham | $1,250,000 | down 4.5% |
| Wellfleet | Wellfleet | $895,000 | down 21% |
Provincetown's median rose 23.8%, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Wellfleet's dropped 21% over the same stretch. Both towns are on the same stretch of Route 6. That is the split this headline is talking about.
Speed: how fast homes actually moved
Days on market tells a different story from price. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows Wellfleet at just 19 median days, down 24 days from last year. Orleans came in at 25 days, down 27 days. Chatham hit 20 days, down 9. Provincetown took 50 days, though that was 6 days quicker than last year.
How close to asking price sellers got
The Real Estate Data Aggregator tracked sale-to-list ratios across all eight towns. Wellfleet led at 99.7%, meaning sellers got almost exactly what they asked. North Chatham and Eastham were close behind. Truro and Chatham came in lower, at 94.5% and 96.7%.
Supply: how much is actually out there
Months of supply measures how long it would take to sell every listed home at the current pace. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put North Chatham at 2.6 months. That is tight. Provincetown sat at 6 months, the loosest on the Cape. Everything else fell in between.
The national backdrop
Nationally, mortgage rates climbed above 7% for the first time since January 2025, according to Realtor.com. CNBC reported the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.41% as of late October 2026. Realtor.com also noted that 20.8% of listings nationally took a price cut in September, the highest share since October 2022. Those headwinds are real. They shape buyer budgets everywhere, including here.
Even so, the Outer Cape is not one market. Provincetown prices rose nearly 24% while Wellfleet prices fell 21%, all in the same three months. The national story does not explain either of those moves.
- The Outer Cape ran from $757,500 in North Truro to $2,375,000 in North Chatham in the three months ending August 31, 2026. Some towns rose.
- Some fell.
- Speed and supply varied just as much.
- One ZIP code can read very differently from the town next door, and one street can read differently from its whole ZIP code.
Your next step
(508) 789-8830Text me your address and I will send back where your Outer Cape home sits against what actually sold near you, including the price direction for your specific town. Takes a day, costs nothing.
Text me- Real Estate Data Aggregator numbers for ZIPs 02657, 02652, 02666, 02667, 02642, 02653, 02650 and 02633, the three months ending August 31, 2026, compared with the same months of 2025. Real Estate Data Aggregator last updated them on Oct 7, 2026.
- Federal Housing Finance Agency: FHFA House Price Index® Up 0.3 Percent in July; Up 2.6 Percent from Last Year | FHFA, Sep 29, 2026
- Redfin: U.S. Home Prices Ticked Up 0.25% in September, Oct 20, 2026
- Realtor.com: September 2026 Monthly Housing Trends: Price Cuts Hit 4-Year Highs as Mortgage Rates Top 7%, Sep 30, 2026
- Realtor.com: September 2026 Rental Report: Median Asking Rent Declines at the Slowest Pace in 3 Years, Oct 15, 2026
- CNBC: Mortgage rates drop for the first time in 2 months, but demand still falls further, Oct 21, 2026
- No Real Estate Data Aggregator numbers for 02663, so this part is from websites alone.