should the wife come too? (Boston, Brookline: for sale, apartments, rent)

[bighoneydog]

My husband has to spend a year doing research in Boston at the Brigham & Women's and we are wondering what the additional cost would be if I were to come with him.

For him alone, we were budgeting up to $1,000/month on rent (room only) and then we weren't sure about living expenses, such as food, etc.

Could anyone give me an idea of living expenses in Boston? mainly weekly food shop, plus any other basic essentials such as transport on the T. Not planning to eat out much or party, etc.

If I were to come with him, would there be much of an additional cost? (eg. for food, etc - would you double the cost?)

Presumably, the rent would go up, unless we could stay in the same kind of accommodation. Do you think we would be able to get a room-only which would allow a couple, as opposed to a single person?

I had a look online and most of the ads only wanted 1 person in the rooms - if we couldn't get a room, then we'd have to opt for a studio - would we be able to get that for about $1,500 /month?

The areas we are thinking of are Brookline/Jamaica Plain/Roxbury - anywhere around the Brigham & Women's, as long as it is a safe area.

We are currently in Auckland and in quite a difficult financial situation - there are also costs associated with me going to live elsewhere for the year, while my husband is in Boston - so we're trying to decide if it would be better for me to accompany him (at what additional cost!) Vs. him going alone.

Any information would be really appreciated.
Thank you.

[eastcoastlady]

You can definitely get a studio for $1500 a month in some of those areas.

[Charliekeet]

For $1500, you should be able to get a 1-bed apartment in Jamaica Plain or Roslindale no problem. Forget this "room" idea unless you really need to be within walking distance for less money.

[RemiJP]

Will you be able to find work?

[clevedark]

I find that food and gas is very expensive here, but I don't know how it compares to costs in New Zealand.

[WannaGoHome]

kia ora! come on over. you can get marmite, milky bars, and a good mince pie. i've yet to find choysa tea or tomato sauce though :-( Oh well! Can't have it all. The only concern with you coming is whether or not you'd need to work and if you could get a visa to work (and find something). There are always nanny jobs and the likes. What is you line of work? Boston is great. Less hectic than Auckland I'd say, but still metropolitan. :-)

[Meh1tabe1]

If you haven't had a chance to use it yet, try Craigslist (craigslist: boston classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events) as a good site to find listings. You can specify location and how much you want to spend, and it is usually filled with options. However, since Boston is a university town, the best time to look for a place is at the change of semesters: January, June, September. Don't worry though, there is a good supply year round.

[miu]

Originally Posted by RemiJP

Will you be able to find work?

I was wondering this also. If you can work, then it should be fine if you decide to be with your husband in Boston.