Affordable housing for an Introvert in Boston? (Worcester, Lowell: lease, how much)

[CaseyB]

He guys, if the OP comes back again for the 3rd time, let me know. Don't respond.

[Cloudship]

This thread went really off track fast with being way to critical of someones lifestyle. That is what drives people n this board to get so angry in the first place.

But regardless of the person's response, which apparently I never saw, the question still is out there on what to do if you need to work in Boston but aren't able to make a roommate situation work for whatever reason. I know - I have been there myself. So let's try and be helpful, and not alienating, about this for any future person looking for advice.

There are in fact a few places you can find within the transit system that do offer sub-$1k rents, though you are looking at some pretty poor places/really hard to find and catch quick options. Some others here talked about roommate situations that might not be so much sharing a room as having your own separate areas, though I think people are forgetting that the kitchen area is where much of that struggle is going to happen.

The option I ended up taking was looking to the ends of the commuter rail network. That in many cases means you need a car and can drive, though you probably could get away without one if you lived within walking distance of Union Station in Worcester. I would also think you might be able to find something in Providence, but transit costs might be much higher and a lot less frequent.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by Cloudship

The option I ended up taking was looking to the ends of the commuter rail network. That in many cases means you need a car and can drive, though you probably could get away without one if you lived within walking distance of Union Station in Worcester. I would also think you might be able to find something in Providence, but transit costs might be much higher and a lot less frequent.

The problem with that is, unless work is paying for the transit pass, once you add that to the monthly budget you can get get something closer in... so why not do that?

[bostonguy1960]

A possibility may be a "room(s) for rent" category in the Craigslist search box...or try "furnished room(s). Still not many options, but at least one could retreat to one's room and not engage with roommates in a kitchen, as there is no kitchen, just a microwave and small fridge in the room. But there may only be one bathroom for four people.

Some do live like this. I have, in Brookline years ago in a nice Victorian house. I know CL sometimes has such a listing in Norwood or Everett. There's been a room in Waltham for $700 in a rooming house, still listed, I recall.

The one in Norwood seems less of a traditional rooming house and more of a Victorian house share, for about $190 weekly (when I've seen it listed). And the bus to the orange line is convenient.

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[eevee]

Originally Posted by timberline742

The problem with that is, unless work is paying for the transit pass, once you add that to the monthly budget you can get get something closer in... so why not do that?

Yup. I used to live out in Norwood, thinking that it was cheaper than living in Boston, but once I factored in the costs of the commuter rail AND the cost of a cab to get me home for when the commuter rail wasn't an option, I quickly realized that I was actually spending more money compared to when I was living in Boston. The only thing that saved my wallet was learning that I could walk about 1.5 miles over to the bus stop and catch the 34E on rare occasions. I ended up moving to Medford where I was paying more money in rent but could take the bus to the orange line.

What I'm curious is, at what point/how far out can you go when the MBTA is no longer an inexpensive option and it becomes cheaper to just drive into Boston? Obviously, this assume low car expenses and cheap/free parking if you can get it (or if the workplace offers it), but when commuter rail passes to Zone 6 are over $300, I have to imagine that driving may be cheaper (then again, I've never owned a car or driven one in my life). I know my brother lives in NH and works near Boston and he says that he saved money once he moved out of Somerville. His job has free parking for employees so that helps him out a bit.

[Cloudship]

So my experience is several years old, and prices have changed. I used to end up driving most of the time, as my work dictated that I wouldn't have a set leaving time. I commuted to Worcester, and at the time if I missed one train I would be waiting a couple of hours for the next.

Living costs for Boston are high no matter how you split them up. Driving in is a costly venture as well - gas adds up, especially when you have to drive 40 miles each way. Tolls were about $6 a day, though that has gone up. Paring is really expensive - I don't think too many places in Boston have free parking. For me I was spending $25-$30 a day, that was early bird. If you work a later shift add a good $10-$20 on top of that. Then of course you have all the associated car costs - repairs, insurance, payments. But the real problem was the time. It would take me some days over 2 hours to get in to work, especially if you end up parking some distance from where you actually work.

You have to be real selective on the lines - some do not run frequently enough, or at inopportune times. For instance for the OP this probably would not work as they would be getting out after trains ended running. But if you have a more normal, and more predictable, schedule, I think you could make it work. Try looking at the Framingham/Natick/Worcester line, the Fitchburg/Leominster line, and the Lowell line.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Cloudship

This thread went really off track fast with being way to critical of someones lifestyle. That is what drives people n this board to get so angry in the first place.

But regardless of the person's response, which apparently I never saw, the question still is out there on what to do if you need to work in Boston but aren't able to make a roommate situation work for whatever reason. I know - I have been there myself. So let's try and be helpful, and not alienating, about this for any future person looking for advice.

I always try to make a point of answering the OP's specific question, or if the question is to vague I will ask for additional info from the OP him/herself. In this case, what she was asking first sounded like it would be tough; but I wasn't going to spout off with that answer before looking into it myself. And saw, yes there are options. They will however, involve being either creative with parking and/or a complex commute (but not the end of the world as she wouldn't be dealing with rush hour necessarily.

Looking now, it looks like the Fitchburg Line might be a decent option. There is a 10:50 PM from Porter (she could walk there from Union if she had to), and she could live in Ayer where she would be home before midnight. Not appealing, I know but it's doable.

Looking into the Somerville parking would be a smart thing too.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by massnative71

I always try to make a point of answering the OP's specific question, or if the question is to vague I will ask for additional info from the OP him/herself. In this case, what she was asking first sounded like it would be tough; but I wasn't going to spout off with that answer before looking into it myself. And saw, yes there are options. They will however, involve being either creative with parking and/or a complex commute (but not the end of the world as she wouldn't be dealing with rush hour necessarily.

Looking now, it looks like the Fitchburg Line might be a decent option. There is a 10:50 PM from Porter (she could walk there from Union if she had to), and she could live in Ayer where she would be home before midnight. Not appealing, I know but it's doable.

Looking into the Somerville parking would be a smart thing too.

Add another $300 for the inconvenient commuter rail and I'm quite sure you've lost all your savings on rent.

[hashtagusername]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Add another $300 for the inconvenient commuter rail and I'm quite sure you've lost all your savings on rent.

Commuter rail....

How pricey are things down Providence?

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Add another $300 for the inconvenient commuter rail and I'm quite sure you've lost all your savings on rent.

It's only $300 more to live in Somerville than Ayer???? I would guess a much bigger difference than that. MBTA passes are tax deductible, and some employers give discounts.