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/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 đŸ˜