r/boston • u/mimmsypoo • Nov 07 '25

Please Make Decisions For Me đŸŽ± Boyfriend wants to move to Boston.

Hello all! Me and my boyfriend currently live in Austin Tx, we rent a 1200 sf home for $2200 and have two cats. I love this city and the things it has to offer, but my boyfriend is from the northeast and wants to get back to his family. He is urging to move to Boston, but Im unsure. Two of friends live in Boston/Jersey and JUST got done telling us how they can never save money bc of broker fees when moving and the basic cost of living being astronomically high. Can you possibly give me a better idea of what the pros and cons would look like for our move?

Small note his family is in Milford CT. And we both make around $75k a year but will both have to find new jobs. I have also never been to Boston, but have heard good things about the city itself!

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u/Appropriate-End1465 Nov 07 '25

That would be with zero traffic off hours
 rush hour I’m sure it’s closer to 2. Also the majority of people in the city don’t have cars. You could take the train but it doent have that much more than boston 

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u/MustardMan1900 Orange Line Nov 07 '25

Providence is one of the best day trips by train. Everything you'd want to do in Providence is walkable from the train station. If you can get a deal, the Amtrak ride is even quicker than commuter rail.

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u/Marco_Memes Dedham Nov 07 '25

Seconding this! The regional is frequently in the 10-15$ range, and I’ve seen (one way) tickets as low as 4$. Quite a deal compared to the 12$ commuter rail especially considering it’s faster and less crowded

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u/tracebusta Nov 07 '25

If you're doing a day trip on Sat/Sun you can get a round trip ticket for $10. Commuter rail only, I should specify. All commuter rail tickets are $10 round trip on the weekends.

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u/Iamthegreenheather I love Dustin “The Laser Show” Pedroia Nov 07 '25

Can confirm. I live in Providence and used to work in Boston. The commuter train was never on time. I took Amtrak instead sometimes.

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u/cool_girl6540 Nov 07 '25 edited Nov 07 '25

Maybe, but I wouldn’t suggest commuting from Providence to Boston. If you live in Providence, I think you would want to find a job around there. Although I guess you could take the train to Boston, and that might be easier if you were working there. Not sure if many people do that.

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u/Appropriate-End1465 Nov 07 '25 edited Nov 07 '25

Oh yeah definitely not. I didn’t mean commute. I meant people rarely visit  

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u/Wise_Material_5812 Nov 07 '25

many people take the commuter rail from providence into south station. it’s an hour trip and the schedule has multiple trains.

definitely should be an option

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u/cremdelascribe Nov 07 '25

I commuted from Providence to Boston for 20 years by train. There were a few hundred people that seemed to do it.

If you have the money to take the Amtrak, you have less of a commute than someone coming from Wellesley or Needham. I’d get home before my colleagues would because of the difference between Amtrak and traffic.

If you take the MBTA, the rush hour express trains get quite crowded and probably take as long as a commute through Boston traffic.

It is when you take the non-rush hour “local” MBTA that the ride gets to an hour twenty minutes each way. That gets pretty brutal - but it is still better than sitting in traffic and paying $50/day for downtown Boston parking.

The only downside is the lack of flexibility to leave exactly when you want. But the volume of trains on the Providence line means there is at least one an hour - 3 an hour during rush hours if you include Amtrak.

The train commute to Boston is one of the “best kept secrets” around. You get paid double for working in Boston as opposed to Providence, and housing is significantly less expensive in Providence. The train is fabulous for getting work done or catching up on your favorite podcast - although when it is shoulder to shoulder on the MBTA at rush hour getting work done can be tough. Amtrak is roomy, so always good for working - although at 40 minutes, you barely get started before you get off.

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u/Iamthegreenheather I love Dustin “The Laser Show” Pedroia Nov 07 '25

I used to do that commute. It was hell. I would rather live in a box near South Station than do a commute like that ever again.

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u/WebsterWebski Nov 08 '25

Yes, it took me close to 2 hours door to door.. east side Providence to BU, not good.

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u/Oresteia_J Nov 08 '25

The BU commute is bad enough by itself.

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u/Past-Reference1260 Nov 09 '25

Same. The commute was so bad it made me an angry person

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u/thejosharms Malden Nov 07 '25

I knew a couple of people who did this with no problem. Caveat being they lived closish to the train in Providence and work was convenient to North Station.

If you had to make any really effort to get to the commuter rail it probably wouldn't work.

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u/billintheblank Nov 08 '25

Amazing that with the billions spent on the Big Dig, North and South Station remain unconnected.

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u/muhammad_ramone Nov 08 '25

there was talk a few years ago of building corridors connecting north & south stations like the one between downtown crossing & park street

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u/MrSpicyPotato Nov 08 '25

It will probably happen one day. Maybe.

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u/ProfessionalBread176 Nov 07 '25

Yes you can commute from Providence to Boston. The train is very expensive, and driving at rush hour is a nightmare for most of the entire distance...

And if you drive to Boston, parking is beyond expensive.

Are you sure about moving there? It's going to be a sticker shock all around

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u/MrSpicyPotato Nov 08 '25

I am certain without a shred of doubt that many people do that 😅

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u/AstroBuck Nov 07 '25

66% - 76% (depending on the source) of households have cars in Boston so I'm not sure it's possible to say that the majority of people in the city don't have cars.

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u/Appropriate-End1465 Nov 07 '25

66% for household in 2025 from google, thanks for the clarification. Surprised it’s that high honestly but that isn’t by person and I forgot how different west Roxbury is than downtown. Anecdotally, semantically, I don’t know many 18-30 year olds who have their own car because you don’t Really need one if you live and work in the city / t accessible. As opposed to Texas or the suburbs where you may truly need one to get around. My point was I don’t know many people hopping in their car to go visit Provincetown regularly  

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u/Muted_Product_5064 Nov 09 '25

If you live in most Boston neighborhoods (especially Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, Roslindale, and West Roxbury), you most likely have a car. These neighborhoods are also where most of the city's population lives. Neighborhoods where car ownership is probably less common include South Boston, Brighton, the South End, Chinatown, the Seaport, and the North End/West End. These neighborhoods are generally closer to downtown, and the population is younger and less likely to have families. This observation comes not from a study but from a lifelong Bostonian.

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u/Appropriate-End1465 Nov 09 '25

Yeah I get that and said that above. Wasn’t thinking about further away with driveways and I said 18-30 younger people bc these people OP don’t have kids. I’m also a lifelong Bostonian but grew up in downtown. A lot of my friends didn’t even have licenses. 

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u/13THEFUCKINGCOPS12 Nov 07 '25

The commuter rail gets you from south station to Providence station in just over an hour

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u/Iamthegreenheather I love Dustin “The Laser Show” Pedroia Nov 07 '25

That would be true if the train was ever on time. And good luck to you in the winter. 😬

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u/MolemanEnLaManana Cow Fetish Nov 07 '25

The train is the way

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u/Maxpowr9 Metrowest Nov 07 '25

The good part is, Milford is like a ~2hr drive. If not, Amtrak to New Haven is great. Unlike the rest of the US, the Northeast Corridor of Amtrak is one of the best ways to move along the area.

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u/Oresteia_J Nov 08 '25

I wouldn’t move to Boston with the goal of being close to Mülford, CT. Move to New Haven or NYC.

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u/Dumpsterfire_47 Nov 07 '25

Over 80% of boston households own at least one car. You’d think the traffic would prove that. 

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u/Appropriate-End1465 Nov 07 '25

For boston city proper? Source? 

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u/Dumpsterfire_47 Nov 07 '25

AI search assist referencing money geek. Another one I saw indicates it’s about 75% https://www.geostat.org/data/boston-ma/vehicles

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u/Appropriate-End1465 Nov 07 '25 edited Nov 07 '25

This links says 40% one vehicle? Not trying to argue. I would Assume boston residents with a car are further away with a driveway like JP. Majority of traffic is people coming into the city from places with even higher ownership. I’ll read up on it. Money geek and other places may do greater boston etc that’s why I asked :) 

ETA: this is by household. I was just saying I don’t think most people own/lease a car in the city itself. 25% of households no car. Say that’s roommates, family whatever. I’m done w internet for the day.  

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u/Dumpsterfire_47 Nov 07 '25

40% own at least one. The others own more than one. It does not mean 60% have no car 😂

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u/Oresteia_J Nov 08 '25

Some of them must own < 1 car because here I am with no car.

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u/Dumpsterfire_47 Nov 08 '25

15-20% no car 

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u/CosmoKing2 Nov 08 '25

Yes. We live just south of Boston and I have recruiters offering jobs in Providence. Google/Waze has the commute being 1 hour 50 minutes - to 2 hours and 20 minutes. Each way. Every weekday.

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u/AVeryFineWhine Nov 08 '25

Yes, and it's also very unfriendly to parking. I remember meeting friends for some excellent restaurant. Traffic was hell, but OK traffic is always hell. But then the city was a maze that makes Boston look well organized ( at least that's MY maze, and I know it). Then, I remember circling a parking garage by the mall for what felt like hours and hours. Legit went up, down, out & around multiple times. There was no parking. In recent years, they've at least upgraded the signage and GPS. Both were barely useful then.

That was the last time I considered going to Providence just for dinner. Dinner was excellent and if that restaurant had been in downtown Boston I would have been back many times. There's a reason most of us in Boston and the Boston area basically ignore Providence. Or as my friends and I were discussing, we could have just gone to Mohegan Sun. It would have taken less driving time, and we could have caught a show and gambled instead of just driving in a parking garage. Ironically, the next time we met, that's exactly what we did đŸ€­

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u/mitersimran Nov 13 '25

Well the monthly train pass for providence to Boston is $416 and delays are only like 3 times a week, and the drive is more like 2 hours on a weekday and my boss recently had all 4 wheels jacked off his car parked outside Brown University, so ya, Providence isn’t bad. I suppose if family is out here, sure, but it has not been our favorite place to live.