I would like to move to Boston, but don't know much about it. Can you give me some info on it? (Lynn: luxury)

[Sobefobik]

It sounds like a great city from what I've read about it. I plan to visit there in March, but would like to get some info on it before I go.

How much does it cost to rent a studio or 1 bedroom apartment? It would be nice to live in the city, but I'm not sure if I can afford it. What are some good suburb areas that are on the T, or urban neighborhoods that aren't TOO expensive?

Thanks!!

[eevee]

will need some more info from you:

-what's your budget? ("too expensive" is very relative. are you coming from NYC or rural Alabama?)

-where are you commuting to/from? are you going to enrolled in school here? which one? (no point in recommending Newton if you'll be attending UMASS Boston). are you going to employed here? do you already have a job lined and know the address? or will you be looking once you move (what field are you looking in? Boston does have a financial district and a few clusters of medical areas)

-what are you looking for in an apartment? studios can be as cheap as $600 (for a small, run down place in East Boston) or $2k+ for a luxury unit. on average, studios are about $800 and one bedrooms are about $900-$1000, though the cheaper ones may/will be in sketchy areas or run down. do you need parking (off street hard to find in many neighborhoods), washer/dryer, recent renovations, pet friendly, kid friendly, etc? also realize that apartments near a train stop will be more expensive than one in an area served just by the bus or commuter rail (remember that the T is an entire system including buses, subways, trolleys, commuter rails, and commuter boats. some think the T= subways, which isn't so)

-what are you looking for in a neighborhood? do you want quiet family neighborhoods like Newton/Lexington? hip, young neighborhoods filled with bars and clubs like Fenway/Davis Sq./Allston? a more bohemian area like JP? be truthful: are there certain ethnic neighborhoods you'd want to live in (some neighborhoods are pretty integrated, many not so much. Southie is largely Irish, Mattapan is mostly populated by Haitian immigrants, some parts of Dorchesters is mostly populated by Asians, etc). what do you want in this neighborhood: bars, clubs, supermarkets, parks, schools, churches, organic foods markets, museums, etc?

more people may answer your question if you give them something more to go on

[Sobefobik]

Sorry I didn't include that info. I didn't think about it. I'm am from Portland Oregon. You can find a cheaper apartment here for around $450. You can find a decent apartment for around $650.

I don't need a luxury apartment, but it would be nice to not have drive by shootings on a regular basis. It would be nice to keep the rent under $800. I looked at a few areas including Lynn and Salem because the rent seemed cheaper there, but I don't know anything about those areas. I would actually prefer to be downtown, but like I said, I have a fairly limited budget.

I don't care about clubs. I would like to have some nice European coffee shops, restuarants, walking trails, parks, etc.

I'm a medical transcriptionist so will most likely be working at a major hospital. I don't want more than a 45 minute commute. I do have a car right now and will have to keep it until I pay it off seven years from now, but would actually like to use public transportation to get around and for work. One of the problems in Portland is that PT takes forever and is not very extensive.

I'm not married, don't have children, and don't have to have pets. I don't need or want a family neighborhood and I don't want to live next door to the Brady Bunch. I'm not concerned with whether an area is ethnic or not.

Thanks for the info!!