Working for Harvard (Boston, Cambridge, Newton: transplants, apartments, for rent)

[Luthien26]

Hey everyone,
I've been offered a job working for the Harvard Med. Institute at 40k a year. I know the cost of living out here is much higher than where I am now, (St. Louis) so I just wanted to know, based on the salary I'll be getting, what do you guys think my standard of living will be? And where should I move that would be both close to my job and not in any "bad" areas?

Thanks for the input!

[Bostonian08]

Well 40k is not a whole lot in Boston, but I think you'll find the quality of life in BOS is way better than St L. Are you working at the Med School in Longwood or at the University in Cambridge? Either way, both are as good a neighborhood as you can get. Your best bet is sell your car before you come and live within walking distance to work. Public transit in both areas can't be beaten anywhere on this planet. And I would suggest don't worry that your salary is not spectacular on day one. Opportunities are plentiful and advancement is assured if you just do a good job and be nice.

[Luthien26]

I'll be working at the Med School in Longwood. What do you suggest would be a good budget for apartments? I'm a single, 24yr. old woman and I found a nice, one-bedroom apt. in Woburn for $1300 a month. Do you think on 40k a year, spending $1300 for rent would be feasible?

[Cantabridgienne]

No one can really answer that without knowing your lifestyle (homebody who never spends money? Shopper who likes to eat out?) and other financial committments (student loans, debt, car payment, etc). While most financial experts say to not spend more than 30% of takehome pay on housing, that number isn't as realistic in many cities (particularly in the Northeast) and some people would rather stretch that number as opposed to spending it on a car or travel or (insert other ways to spend money). Woburn is a suburb well outside of Boston. If you are looking for an urban area where you can walk to restaurants/shops/nightlife and be around others in your age range...this is not it. What kind of atmosphere do you want to live in (aside from safe, because I think we can assume everyone wants that).

[Luthien26]

Hmmm...well as for my lifestyle-I'm pretty much a homebody, and am not into the "nightlife/club scene". I eat out but not at really pricey places, don't shop much, and like a lot of the "cultural" stuff, so museums, art, symphony, etc. I don't have any student loans or credit card bills, so my income won't be tied up in that respect. I was hoping to get a dog, so I'd prefer a dog-friendly apt. I'll be working in Longwood, but I will need to travel to Woburn about once every week. Hope that helps...I appreciate the feedback.

[holden125]

Woburn to Longwood? A little bit of a pain. Unlike a lot of other areas in the US, commuting to Boston by car is not feasible for many people because of traffic and the high cost of parking in Boston. Commuting by car from the northern suburbs to Longwood, which is the other side of downtown Boston and the Back Bay, is particularly tough. Thus you can't just pick a place that is X miles from your job and just hop in the car and go. Instead, you should become familiar with the MBTA's lines:

www.mbta.com

Taking mass transit from Woburn, you'd have to come into North Station (25-30 mins from Anderson-Woburn Station), then take the Green Line E down toward HMS. Combined it's probably an hour or more door to door once you factor in getting to Anderson, waiting for the trains, walking from the Green line to the medical school, etc. And the T pass from Woburn also costs $151 a month, plus parking fees at Anderson station every day.

$1300 for rent on a $40K salary would be tough, particularly if utilities are not included. Heat and electric can run a couple of hundred a month pretty easily in the winter.

Fortunately, there are some decent places for far less. I don't know exactly what you're looking for, though if you're looking at Woburn you might not want too urban an area. So it would help to know what kind of place you're expecting to get, and what kind of area you want. Really rural, suburban, more dense? A lot of 20-somethings? A lot of transplants? Diverse?

If you're open to something that's not totally suburban, there are nice residential parts of the city of Boston that are far less "city" than, say, the Back Bay, and are a quick bus ride away from Longwood. For example, Jamaica Plain and Roslindale have very nice parts. JP, in particular, can be a lot of fun.

I'd also suggest looking in a place like Newton, where there is a train going to Back Bay station, which is an easy walk to Copley Sq or Prudential station, where you can get the outbound Green Line E to HMS. easier than coming in through North or South Stations. It would be easier than coming in from Woburn the other days. From Newton you could drive up Route 128 to Woburn, which is going against the worst of the traffic, on the days you had to go up there. On the other days, it would be easier than coming in to Longwood from Woburn.

Newton is a lovely town and there are three stops on the Framingham line (Newtonville, West Newton, Auburndale) within Newton's borders. Each of these is near a small downtown of sorts, with plenty of stores and restaurants nearby. You can likely find a place for well under $1300 that's reasonable walking distance to one of those stations, though it would probably be in an older house, as opposed to a sparkling new complex. But this is Boston. Most of us live in old houses. You have to get a ways out of the city before you hit new complexes, and then you've got a longer commute and a higher rent.

[Bostonian08]

Originally Posted by Luthien26

I'll be working at the Med School in Longwood. What do you suggest would be a good budget for apartments? I'm a single, 24yr. old woman and I found a nice, one-bedroom apt. in Woburn for $1300 a month. Do you think on 40k a year, spending $1300 for rent would be feasible?

I would not suggest that at all. Woburn is waaaay far out from Longwood. It has no train service. It's for families, not singles. Driving from there would be a really bad experience for you.

You need to live in Brookline, Fenway, or Longwood. There are two all girl colleges on Brookline Ave. There are a dozen universities in the neighborhood. It's a gorgeous place - ideal for a young woman. It's very safe with countless university and medical center police around. You don't want to fight the traffic from Woburn, it's brutal for a novice. What you want to do is live in a beautiful rowhouse on a tree lined street in the Fens and enjoy a ten minute stroll to work every day. The neighborhood is sweet, lively, perfect.

This is Beacon Hill, not far from the Fens. The Fens doesn't look exactly like this, but similar. Wouldn't you rather stroll down this street than fight a highway war?

[Luthien26]

Originally Posted by Bostonian08

I would not suggest that at all. Woburn is waaaay far out from Longwood. It has no train service. It's for families, not singles. Driving from there would be a really bad experience for you.

You need to live in Brookline, Fenway, or Longwood. There are two all girl colleges on Brookline Ave. There are a dozen universities in the neighborhood. It's a gorgeous place - ideal for a young woman. It's very safe with countless university and medical center police around. You don't want to fight the traffic from Woburn, it's brutal for a novice. What you want to do is live in a beautiful rowhouse on a tree lined street in the Fens and enjoy a ten minute stroll to work every day. The neighborhood is sweet, lively, perfect.

This is Beacon Hill, not far from the Fens. The Fens doesn't look exactly like this, but similar. Wouldn't you rather stroll down this street than fight a highway war?

Haha-yes, that DOES look better than a drive on the freeway! Okay, so scratch the Woburn apartment-I'll look for something in the areas you mentioned. I esp. like that it has an all-girls school near it and cops. (Good-potential friends AND protectors! )

[Cantabridgienne]

Have you considered having a roommate? It's very common for people in their early 20s to have them (I'd argue that it's more so than it is for someone in their early 20s to live alone). You can definitely get a nicer place if it's a share when you're on a low budget. It's also a way to avoid paying a realtor fee when you first move. To get an idea of housing stock/prices, you should take a look on CraigsList. Many realtors and owners list their apartments there.

[Luthien26]

Originally Posted by Cantabridgienne

Have you considered having a roommate? It's very common for people in their early 20s to have them (I'd argue that it's more so than it is for someone in their early 20s to live alone). You can definitely get a nicer place if it's a share when you're on a low budget. It's also a way to avoid paying a realtor fee when you first move. To get an idea of housing stock/prices, you should take a look on CraigsList. Many realtors and owners list their apartments there.

I hadn't considered a roommate, as I don't know anyone in Boston that I could move in with, and I'd feel weird living with someone I didn't know. I have been looking on Craigslist... My requirements for an apt. are safe area(obviously), Ht/HW included, dogs okay, dishwasher, and w/d hookups in the apt. itself or at least a laundry facility in the building itself (I hear the winters are brutal and I'd hate to have to walk in the snow every week to do laundry) I know those are pretty high requirements, although I'm not sure how much an apt. like that would go for or even if I could afford it on 40k.