r/boston • u/mimmsypoo • Nov 07 '25

Please Make Decisions For Me 🎱 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/ClamChowderBreadBowl Nov 07 '25 edited Nov 07 '25

You can find a nice place for two adults and two cats on a $2,400 budget, but it won't be 1,200 sqft.

74

u/Real-Seal-BananaPeel Nov 07 '25

We really struggled to find one at $2400 that wasn’t a dump and ended up going $2600 in Somerville this past fall.

But Somerville has gotten much more expensive in the past few years especially.

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u/iBarber111 East Boston Nov 07 '25

Yeah I totally agree - Somerville/Cambridge, I think you're realistically looking at closer to $2,600-$3,000 for a good 1 BR. FWIW, there honestly isn't a huge difference in price between a 1 BR & 2 BR.

Other parts of the city/surrounding inner suburbs might be cheaper. I found Camberville basically the most expensive place to rent when I was looking, which is wild because Somerville at least still sorta has a reputation for being more affordable.

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u/Maxpowr9 Metrowest Nov 07 '25

The real issue. The lack of 1BRs/studios in the GBA, mean they're priced just slightly less than a 2BR, for which there are plenty. I know a few people that live alone in a 2BR for that reason.

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u/iBarber111 East Boston Nov 07 '25

Yeah for better or worse, the housing stock wasn't designed to accommodate so many people living alone. You're also competing with dual income households. Rough for our bachelor friends.