Is Boston too expensive for a college student? (Cambridge, Somerville: fit in, apartments)

[becklynne]

I'm really interested in getting out of arizona and moving to Boston to finish nursing school. I'm concerned about the cost of living. I was thinking about renting a room. I'd like to live in a safe/cheap area close to the center of Boston and near other college students. Any suggestions?

I'm also worried about transportation. I'm sure anything is better than Pheonix but if I didn't take my car out there would it be easy enough to get around with the subways and things there?

[holden125]

Boston can be more expensive than Phoenix but there are areas where you can get a room with roommates for a reasonable amount. I know people who live in Brighton, which is between Boston College and Boston U (the area along Commonwealth Avenue has a lot of younger students, there are more people 24-34 in Brighton Center), who pay under $700 for a room in very nice apartments. Mission Hill, near Northeastern U and some other schools, has similar prices. Jamaica Plain (though some areas are less safe, others are great) has a lot of young people and you could find affordable shares there too. My girlfriend lives in a huge beautiful house in Belmont and pays $500 for a virtual palace. Belmont, as a whole, is not a student area per se, but her house is in the very corner of the town, 10 minutes by bus to Harvard Sq. and her roommates are all 22-31. There is a bar on the corner where a lot of young people are on the weekends. There are also a lot of young people in places in Somerville and Cambridge. Some areas there are more expensive, others still pretty affordable. Most of these areas have a lot to do and places to eat and go out right there, making it unnecessary to go to downtown Boston every time you wanted to do something, but you could also there easily.

Look up these areas on:

boston rooms & shares classifieds - craigslist

I don't know your exact budget, but it's doable and in most of these places you'd do fine without a car, depending on where you go to school and/or work. Along Commonwealth Av. and on Mission Hill, you'd actually not want a car as parking is tough. The thing about Boston is that, although public transit is extensive by US standards, whether it will be easy or a real pain for you depends on where you need to go. I'd advise figuring out the location of your school and anywhere else you need to go regularly, like a job or internship, first, and then look for an area you like with quick and direct transit links to those places. You just need to be careful about precise location and master the MBTA system. For example, there are apartments in Brighton right near the B line of the Green Line (which is a trolley/subway going downtown)

[hindsight2020]

I'd say yes. My college friend (we went to school in the south) is from Boston and currently resides up there. Works a civil service position with the AF and makes about 70K/yr. He lives at home. He could rent, but that would negate enough of his income to the point where taking a 30-35K salary cut by taking a position in cheaper areas of the country (southeast, midwest) would put him in the same scenario, comfortable but unable to make headway in the form of substantial enough savings to comfortably afford a home. His sole incentive to stay in Boston right now is free rent, even with his salary, so imagine all those people who do not have that luxury. It's uphill.

Also bear in mind that Boston's demographics are shifting. Young people are increasingly priced out. This has led to a visible emmigration of 20-somethings out of that part of New England, heck even baby boomers are leaving, and they're being replaced with international immigrants (Brazilians, and other flavors of south american in particular). So among young people you're not likely to encounter a social base in any way similar to phoenix. His biggest complaint is that there are not much in the way of young domestic professionals as himself for a metro area of that size. The average age at his workplace is mid 40s. I visited him in Boston not too long ago and that was my impression of the place....alright city but where the heck are the young professionals...and he's local mind you and we perused the local hang outs...non-existent compared to the southwest, midwest or south (where I live).

So even though one could effectively hide away in the college campuses, there's plenty other college locations across the country which are more in tune with the cost of living expecations of a college student, as well as better demographics for somebody whose expecting to launch into the workforce in 4-5 years. good luck

[holden125]

Originally Posted by hindsight2020

I'd say yes. My college friend (we went to school in the south) is from Boston and currently resides up there. Works a civil service position with the AF and makes about 70K/yr. He lives at home. He could rent, but that would negate enough of his income to the point where taking a 30-35K salary cut by taking a position in cheaper areas of the country (southeast, midwest) would put him in the same scenario, comfortable but unable to make headway in the form of substantial enough savings to comfortably afford a home. His sole incentive to stay in Boston right now is free rent, even with his salary, so imagine all those people who do not have that luxury. It's uphill.

Also bear in mind that Boston's demographics are shifting. Young people are increasingly priced out. This has led to a visible emmigration of 20-somethings out of that part of New England, heck even baby boomers are leaving, and they're being replaced with international immigrants (Brazilians, and other flavors of south american in particular). So among young people you're not likely to encounter a social base in any way similar to phoenix. His biggest complaint is that there are not much in the way of young domestic professionals as himself for a metro area of that size. The average age at his workplace is mid 40s. I visited him in Boston not too long ago and that was my impression of the place....alright city but where the heck are the young professionals...and he's local mind you and we perused the local hang outs...non-existent compared to the southwest, midwest or south (where I live).

So even though one could effectively hide away in the college campuses, there's plenty other college locations across the country which are more in tune with the cost of living expecations of a college student, as well as better demographics for somebody whose expecting to launch into the workforce in 4-5 years. good luck

I've never seen a workplace where the average age is mid 40's. There are plenty of 20-something people in Boston. Though it is true there are people leaving, there are others moving in. It might be a net loss, and the reshuffling leads to a higher income range coming in than are going out. But to suggest that Boston is all 40-somethings and Brazilian immigrants is quite misleading. I might be able to fit in a bar on a Saturday night if that were the case. I have found, though, that there is a sharp divide between the immediate urban area and the suburbs. If you go out in Brighton or Cambridge, there are plenty of young professionals. Farther out in the suburbs, it is much more older family people. May I ask where he's going out?

Your friend has two reasons to stay: he gets the higher salary and avoids paying rent. It's a sacrifice to live at home but will help him save up faster. If he left, he'd lose salary AND have to pay rent.A person making $70K in Massachusetts brings home almost $4,000 a month. There is no way that every single rent in eastern Massachusetts is high enough to cut your friend's pay in half. You don't have to live alone in a nice 1-BR in the Back Bay. There are cheaper cities to be sure, but I know plenty of people who rent nice places with roommates between 500-700. My girlfriend's place is nicer than practically anywhere I've ever lived and they pay $500 each, to the penny.

The bigger problem is for people hoping to stay and buy homes here, and it is hard to put away enough for a down payment, and then the mortgage payments in a lot of places would be enough to take half his income away, easily. But that is different from someone who wants to come and check the area out for a while while finishing school. If a person feels priced out when the time comes to put down roots, that person can leave. That does not mean it's too expensive for a student. Personally I'd rather be here than in the Midwest or Southeast any day, and it doesn't take a huge income to have fun here, though there are many high income people around. The more common complaint in Boston is that there are too many students around making noise.

[HowGoesIt]

Originally Posted by hindsight2020

I'd say yes. My college friend (we went to school in the south) is from Boston and currently resides up there. Works a civil service position with the AF and makes about 70K/yr. He lives at home. He could rent, but that would negate enough of his income to the point where taking a 30-35K salary cut by taking a position in cheaper areas of the country (southeast, midwest) would put him in the same scenario, comfortable but unable to make headway in the form of substantial enough savings to comfortably afford a home. His sole incentive to stay in Boston right now is free rent, even with his salary, so imagine all those people who do not have that luxury. It's uphill.

Also bear in mind that Boston's demographics are shifting. Young people are increasingly priced out. This has led to a visible emmigration of 20-somethings out of that part of New England, heck even baby boomers are leaving, and they're being replaced with international immigrants (Brazilians, and other flavors of south american in particular). So among young people you're not likely to encounter a social base in any way similar to phoenix. His biggest complaint is that there are not much in the way of young domestic professionals as himself for a metro area of that size. The average age at his workplace is mid 40s. I visited him in Boston not too long ago and that was my impression of the place....alright city but where the heck are the young professionals...and he's local mind you and we perused the local hang outs...non-existent compared to the southwest, midwest or south (where I live).

So even though one could effectively hide away in the college campuses, there's plenty other college locations across the country which are more in tune with the cost of living expecations of a college student, as well as better demographics for somebody whose expecting to launch into the workforce in 4-5 years. good luck

C'mon that's not true. I live in the South End and there are TONS of young professionals. Downtown, JP, Brighton, Somerville, and Cambridge are full of young professionals. If you are way out in the 'burbs (where it sounds like your friend lives), there isn't going to be a young professional scene out there.

Boston is unique in that the single professionals gravitate toward downtown. In almost every other city I have visited, young professionals are scattered throughout and all don't live in the city. I think that is what makes Boston great for young people, you know where to find them. Your friend makes 70k a year and won't move out? My parents would of kicked me out years ago!

[smarty]

It all depends on your expectation... Is $1000 expensive? What do you expect to get? a 2bedroom? 1bedroom? studio?