Grad Student Couple-reasonable rent price?

[diannjohn]

I among others here, think that your cap is way too low for any 1 bedroom apartment anywhere commutable to your school under a hour. Watertown is a nice area as is Belmont & Arlington if you are looking for a more "family/ quiet" type neighborhood that is safe and pretty quick into Harvard Sq. You can't find a one bedroom really for under $1400 in these towns. Cambridge, forget about it unless you want to spend around$1600 plus for a one bedroom. Even that is hard to find in Cambridge. You can probably find something in Medford or Somerville for about $1400 which is a better commute. The Boston area in general has become obscene when it comes to rent now. I live in Arlington in a small attic apartment that has a bedroom and a small living room for $1200 but it doesn't have a kitchen and I am lucky to have that for the price. Good luck but you have to figure on at least $1400 and that does not include utilities. Most 1 bedrooms won't include utilities.

[BostonAccountant]

Originally Posted by Kaquel

My boyfriend and I will possibly be moving to Boston this summer as grad students, so I have been taking a (very) preliminary look at apartments in the area. Based on our budget, we would really like to put a $1000 cap on rent (~one week's income). I'd like to get an idea of whether or not this budget is feasible. A quick look at craigslist and trulia has dampened my hope of finding something (haha). Is it possible to find a decent (ie. safe) place in Boston for something near our budget?

I think our biggest priority is safety. In terms of commute, I would be willing to do around 45 minutes, but obviously shorter is better. Unfortunately, I don't know exactly where we would like to be since we are applying to quite a few schools in the area (Boston U, Boston College, Tufts, Northeastern and he also has Harvard and MIT), but honestly I am happy to consider a longer commute for a more reasonable rent. Additionally, I would really like to find a place that will at least allow cats as both of us are really craving animal companionship after the restrictions of dorm life (bleh). In terms of neighborhoods it would be nice to live in a place with other grad students or young professionals but it would be most important to not live in an area that is heavy with undergrads.

If our budget isn't feasible, what is more reasonable? What percentage of income do Boston residents spend on rent? It would also be great to know of good resources to find apartments and possibly neighborhoods for us to consider.

I really appreciate any advice you guys have!

The biggest problem with answering your question is that none of the schools you listed are near each other, so any suggestion would only apply to some of the choices. I live in Quincy, Mass, in a one bedroom, for $1220 a month. It is a standard spacious one bedroom in a complex, not a studio. I have not seen anything cheaper within reason, so I doubt you would find a one bedroom closer to the city for cheaper. It is also directly across from a train station, so very convenient for commuting.

Quincy is right outside of Boston (South), and has a lot of professionals, but not necessarily grad students. From here you would be looking at a bout a 45 to 50 minute commute to all of the schools on your list with the exception of Tufts.

[diannjohn]

He's right. You really have to figure in what kind of commute you want to make every day. If you are going to Tufts I think they have a graduate student housing service and/or board. Union Square/Davis/Ball & Maguon Sqs are all in Somerville near Tufts so those may be reasonable.