Where to live in boston for a mid 20's shy guy.

[UKWildcat1981]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

If you are making $10/hour, you're pretty much looking at Allston, Brighton, Dorchester (As far as living in the city is concerned). In Allston and Brighton, look more towards Brighton Center or Lower Allston to get away from most of the undergrads and farther from Comm ave, which jacks up rental prices for being close to the T.

Boston cost of living is high but the ghettos of Boston are nothing compared to the Midwest and South. It is pretty safe in Boston..even in Roxbury, Mission Hill and Dorchester I never got robbed or even harassed. Boston is def the safest city on the East Coast.. Philly, DC, Baltimore are way more dangerous.

[Utopian Slums]

I agree who what has already been said. I will add that Davis square in Somerville is great if you can afford it. A few miles away is Arlington and i know of 2 people renting a 2 bedroom apartment there for $675 each. If they wanted to use the living room as a third bedroom it would be even cheaper.

[bigfatdude]

Living in Boston on $10 an hour sounds like a pretty awful idea to me - you're still too rich to qualify for government assistance, but way too poor to actually be able to survive. That's only ~$21K a year assuming you work every single weekday with no vacations - take out taxes, mandatory health insurance and transportation expenses, and you're left with less than $1000 a month. Take out at least $700 for rent and utilities, and that's only $300 a month to live on in one of the most expensive cities in the US.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by bigfatdude

Living in Boston on $10 an hour sounds like a pretty awful idea to me - you're still too rich to qualify for government assistance, but way too poor to actually be able to survive. That's only ~$21K a year assuming you work every single weekday with no vacations - take out taxes, mandatory health insurance and transportation expenses, and you're left with less than $1000 a month. Take out at least $700 for rent and utilities, and that's only $300 a month to live on in one of the most expensive cities in the US.

You're assuming a 40/hr week. I don't know anyone, working for $10 or more, working just 40 hrs.

[bostonguy1960]

Originally Posted by timberline742

You're assuming a 40/hr week. I don't know anyone, working for $10 or more, working just 40 hrs.

I talked to a girl in my cab from Southe who works at both Au Bon Pain and Starbucks in the same Financial District building. And here she is wasting $$$ on a cab, but it was probably necessitated by opening the store at 6 am. You sometimes just have to piece together different jobs to make it work. You think she could find a boyfriend to preclude her working so much.

i work 70 hours weekly. I could work less and thus qualify for some govt. assistance perhaps, but not for now. I'll try to just work, unlike some loafers.

Heck, some have to work two jobs or mega hours WITHOUT the benefit of living in a desirable locale such as Boston. Can you imagine living this way in undesirable cities? But at least you may qualify for a mortgage in these places unlike here.