Boston - Relocation, Transit, Schools, Income Taxes (Cambridge: apartment, rental)

[GA777]

Hi,

I am considering on relocating to Boston, MA and I would like to receive your advice regarding the:

Transit system - am I able to live in the city without a car?

Schools - How are the schools in the city? How do they rank from all other states?

Income Tax - What is the % for income tax?

Tax Incentives - Does the city offer tax incentives if you purchase a historical home and/or update it with eco friendly technologies?

Rental Cost - Cost to rent a 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment, condo/loft, home?


I hope some one out there who is already living in the city is able to help me with these important questions.

In advance, thank you and I appreciate all of your help, assistance, and your informative knowledge!!!

[citylover94]

It is easier to live in the city without a car than it is to live in Boston with a car and the same can be said for the suburbs of Cambridge and Sommerville which are at least as dense as Boston.
The schools in Boston are some of the highest ranked urban public schools in the country and the Boston Latin School which requires an entrance exam is one of the highest rated high schools in the country overall.
Unfortunately I do not know the income tax but you could probably find information about taxes on the Massachusets state website.
Again I would suggest you look at the state/ city website or call the city offices.
A 2 bedroom 2 bath condo seems to be between about 2 million and a half a million dollars to buy and an apartment would be about 2,000 dollars a month.

One important fact that may help you decide is that you will probably earn more in Boston. Which helps to offset the cost of living.

I do not live in Boston but have visited many times and know people that live in Boston/ the Boston area.

[VTLiving]

I think that most of the schools in the city of Boston stink. You have to get bussed around in lots of cases. School assignment is done by lottery system, not by which school is closest to your home. Yes, Boston Latin is a great public school. I know because I graduated from there. But I would never move to Boston thinking I was sending my kids there because you have to take a test to get in. There are only so many seats available and they only admit kids in 7th grade and again in 9th grade.

[TAM88]

Originally Posted by GA777

Hi,

I am considering on relocating to Boston, MA and I would like to receive your advice regarding the:

Transit system - am I able to live in the city without a car?

I think it can be done and know plenty of people who do it. Boston has a solid transit system and it's also a dense and compact city. Depending on where you work and live, transit can make things a lot easier and be a lot cheaper. Also, Zip car has cars all over the place which is an easy alternative should you need a car for some shopping trips.

Originally Posted by GA777

Schools - How are the schools in the city? How do they rank from all other states?

I cannot comment on this since I grew up outside of Boston in the suburbs. As someone else mentioned, Boston uses a lottery system to determine what school you go to. So you could live in Dorchester, but go to Brighton for High School. A decent trip. Boston does have some good charter schools in addition to pretty good (for a city) public schools.

Originally Posted by GA777

Income Tax - What is the % for income tax?

The income tax is 5.3%. It's a flat tax rate.

Originally Posted by GA777

Tax Incentives - Does the city offer tax incentives if you purchase a historical home and/or update it with eco friendly technologies?

No idea on this one.

Originally Posted by GA777

Rental Cost - Cost to rent a 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment, condo/loft, home?

Depends on where you live and how nice of a place you're talking about. Could be as low as $1300 or as high as $4,000 for example. It depends on a few different factors.