How expensive is it to live in Boston, MA?

Question

I currently live in San Diego, CA but I would love to move to the east coast, specifically Boston. I want to know whether it is feasible. What is the average cost of living there (rent, utilities, etc)? Any insight would help!

Answer 1

If you live in Boston proper, like Beacon Hill or the BackBay, it can be very expensive, especially if you own a car.

Rents in these areas can run from $1000 /month for a studio to $3000/month for a nonfurnished 2 bedroom.

As far as a car is concerned, you'll have to find a parking place for it. Right now, parking spaces can be bought for anywhere from $50,000 to $200,000+, like ordinary (!) real estate.

If you live in Boston, don't own a car, and take public transportation, unless you're really rich and can afford to buy a car space either on the street or in a garage.

If you move to the suburbs around Boston, like Cambridge or Sommerville, etc, the rents are cheaper, the number of students increases and car spaces are less of a problem.

Answer 2

Hi I'm from Rhode Island but Boston is a main go to spot for us, seeing its only about 40 Min's away plus I travel there for work often. It can be on the expensive side if you are living right in the city of Boston but you can find a decent house outside around 600,000 or so. Natick is a decent area close to boston, also Braintree. Im not a big fan of east boston, Revere.

Answer 3

Hey! I came to your question because I too, live in San Diego and am wanting to move to the Boston area! Everyone says Boston is terribly expensive but they don't say what that means...for example, rent in San diego is outrageously expensive...is it more expensive in Boston then? Its relative, I know but...I am willing to live in a Boston suburb just so long as its near the "T" or some other mode of transportation and would commute to the city if it took as long as thirty, forty minutes...not really an answer to your question but maybe we can exchange info sometime...???

Answer 4

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Answer 5

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Answer 6

Well Boston is one of the more expensive places to live in the country. However, the economy reflects as so. So if you can get a good job, you'll be fine. Rent of a one bedroom apartment, is about $1200. Check out Boston.com for apartments/rentals to get an idea. Also, we have a great transit system, so you can easily live outside the city and commute to your job.

Answer 7

I live in a 6,500 sq foot house in Wellesley, Massachusetts which is right outside of Boston. It takes about 10-15 minutes to get to the city, depending on the traffic. My family bought a $1.8 million house, but that's just because of the size, and Wellesley is a very expensive town. So is Newton. Living in appartments in the heart of the city can cost up to about $600-$1,000 a month. It's pretty expensive. Rent is expensive, shopping is expensive, food is expensive, EVERYTHING is expensive. If you can afford the rent PLUS tens of thousands of dollars each year for other expenses, then go right ahead. However, if you can't, don't plan on getting too far in Boston because of it's expensiveness.

Answer 8

Unfortunately it's pretty expensive, although California's pretty expensive too I guess so it might not be as much of a shock as for someone coming from, say, Mississippi or South Dakota. It's not quite as expensive as New York or San Francisco but it's close. Of course, Boston also has a lot to offer.

Answer 9

boston is, unfortunately, outrageously expensive! especially if you actually want to live inside the city or buy a house anywhere near it!! i live right outside of boston, in Medford MA (takes about 10 mins to drive into the city) with a roommate and we both pay $700/month to rent a fairly small apartment.

i know other friends who pay a lot more, and some who pay less depending on your exact location. if you are looking to buy a house, do some research first...small ones can get pretty damn expensive!

Answer 10

rents range from 600 to 1500 per month utilities are not bad usually elec around 100 p/m gas around 60 p/m and the average cost of living is food and such is pretty average throughout most of the metro areas throughout the country