Relocating to Boston area from Brazil (Cambridge, Newton: apartment, to rent, insurance)

[bcbas]

I've been offered a job in Newton and decided to accept it. The company is currently applying for my H-1B visa - and if everything goes as expected, I should be moving to the US in October.

I'm pretty excited with the oportunity, but I have so many questions to ask that I don't even know where to start from. I think the most important thing for me right now is to have an idea of the best place to live - given my profile.

Who am I?

I'm a 25 year old brazilian guy, engaged with a 24 year old brazilian girl. We both grew up in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, a city with an estimated population of 2.5 million. So, we are used to all the city living; in fact, we like it and would find it hard to live without it.

What do I need?

I need to have as much entertainment options as possible. I like to go out for dinner, catch a movie, etc., at least once a week. I've been working at home for the past 2 years, so I'm not used to traffic anymore. Because of this, I'm looking for a place with easy commute to Newton. I'll probably own a car.

What can I afford?

I have no idea about the cost of living in the Boston area, but I know it isn't cheap. I'll be making ~ 100k and would like to rent before I commit to buy. I don't expect my (future) wife to find a job immediately, so we must consider my income as the household income.

So, the first question is: where should I start looking for an apartment?

Thank you all,

Bruno.

[bcbas]

Anyone?

[holden125]

Are you planning to drive to work in Newton or take mass transit? Where in Newton is your job?

One place you might look is Brookline, which is basically between Newton and the city of Boston. The northern half, particularly the Coolidge Corner and Washington Square areas, is fairly urban with many restaurants and a great independent cinema. It's also very quick to downtown Boston and even quicker to the Back Bay if you want more dining and entertainment options 15 minutes away or so.

You can take Beacon Street, Commonwealth Av or Route 9 (Boylston St) to get to Newton.

Brookline does not allow parking on the street overnight, so you'd need an apartment with parking, which generally is more expensive. The only alternative is renting a space somewhere, but they can be hard to find in a location convenient to your home. You don't want to walk 15-20 minutes in the snow or rain just to get to your car.

If you live in Boston proper, you'd likely pay more rent for less space and your parking problem will only be worse, and your auto insurance will be more expensive.

[shiver]

Do you know how much you are looking to spend on renting?

You could live in Boston itself and experience the city life - Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the North End will put you in the heart of the city and walking distance to public transportation (the T) and plenty of entertainment options. Rents will be on the expensive side since you're paying for location and parking can be a giant pain since off-street spots are rarely included in the rent and usually cost about $200+ a month in those areas. There is resident street parking, but that it can be a headache if you use your car daily. I'm not up on rent prices these days, but I'm guessing $1500-$2000 a month in those areas. Check out the Boston section of craigslist.org. Depending on where you work in Newton, driving to work from Boston shouldn't be terrible (maybe 30 mins - but depends where).

Newton itself (Newton Centre area) and Brookline (look at Coolidge Corner, Washington Square and Brookline Village areas of Brookline) are other possibilities. These towns have a residential flavor, but parts are pretty urbanized (esp. parts of Brookline). It's pretty quick and easy to get into the heart of Boston from these towns whether by car or T. Both these areas are well discussed on this site so if you do a search on the Boston or Massachusetts thread, you should get a lot of information.

[clevedark]

I second Brookline. It's very picturesque, upscale, easy to deal with. A good place to start when renting.

[TheCroatian]

Uuu a Brazilian.
I have cuddled with a lot of Brazilians in Everett.

[TheWereRabbit]

Originally Posted by TheCroatian

Uuu a Brazilian.
I have cuddled with a lot of Brazilians in Everett.

true

[clevedark]

gross

[Jscohen]

I don't think Brookline is the place for you if you want real city life and a lot of nightlife. Aside from a few places (Publick House in Washington Square), there isn't much nightlife there. It is more of a nice suburb with an urban feel close to the city, it kinda shuts down at night and most of what there is to do is high end.

I would check out Cambridge and Somerville. Since you have a car, driving to Newton won't be a huge problem. Those places are filled with people in their 20s and 30s and have a lot of nightlife that isn't centered around 40 year old yuppies or college students, which Brookline can't really claim.

As for the city itself, Back Bay is extremely expensive and very yuppie and tourist-y. Getting from downtown or the North End to Newton would be awful, even with a car. The other neighborhoods nearer to Newton are West Roxbury and Allston-Brighton (really 2 neighborhoods, but people act as if they're the same). Allston-Brighton is pretty centered around undergrads; there's a lot of nightlife but you won't find anyone older than 30 who would set foot there. That area is cheap, safe, close to Newton, but it is known as a student ghetto. West Roxbury is basically a bedroom community that is technically part of the city, but has little nightlife to speak of.