Possiblily Boston-bound

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Oakley

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Having visited Boston for nearly a decade, and really loving the city and following it closely through sites like this one, I may finally be making the jump to this fair city--depending on if things work out.

Now, the big questions. I have an idea of what it costs for rent, but I like to figure out a reasonable cost of living standard (basic stuff) that I would need in terms of salaries. Some facts below:

1) I just need an one-bedroom pad, and could be working out in Boston, Cambridge, or even Waltham. Are utilities usually included? If not, what would be the average budget for them.

2) No car for the first year or so. I've always been curious though, do you need insurance when you rent one?

3) Average rate for cable and or internet?

4) Are a lot of apartments dog-friendly (small dog)? How do people get their dogs around the city? Cab? The T?

5) How much is the monthly pass for the T?
 
1) For a 1BR in Boston you're probably looking at $1200-1500 sometimes with heat included, sometimes without. Further out is cheaper of course, while something like Back Bay is more expensive. Studios should be about $300-500 cheaper than 1BR generally.

2) Yes you do. Rental companies will sell you it for about $10 / day. ZipCar is all-inclusive.

3) $70 (first year) for RCN if you can get it, $100+ for Comcast

4) I imagine that there are. The T permits dogs.

5) $59 now, will be $70 in July.
 
RCN is very limited in Boston. Don't they only have like a couple thousand customers? And lately I've heard ALOT of moaning about them with outages.
 
I would think you'd pay $1,800 for a one-bedroom in a five-floor walk-up located in many of the downtown Boston neighborhoods including the Back Bay, South End, and Beacon Hill. In the new mid-rise buildings, studios start at $2,200 or so and one bedrooms around $2,500-$2,800. Solution: live outside the downtown Boston neighborhoods if your budget won't allow, or get a roommate and split it.

You don't need a car. To learn more about your options, check out my brilliant post:

http://blockavenue.com/blog/boston/go-carless-in-boston/

ZipCar cars come with insurance (and gasoline) included. Costs about $13 per hour to get a car and they are located everywhere in downtown Boston.

The insurance policy has a $750 deductible but you can spend $8 per month (or so) and have it waived so you'll be covered from dollar 1. Don't know about Avis, et al; we have coverage on our credit card. Had an accident, the credit card company paid after a $750 deductible. Or, take the waiver policy offered by the car rental place and enjoy the peace of mind.

We don't have a land line. Cell phone cost for me is around $90 through AT&T on my BlackBerry. Internet and Cable through Comcast costs us $110 per month I think. That includes all the taxes and fees and a DVR. We bought our own modem (cheaper) but I think you can lease it through Comcast.

Electricity will vary widely, of course, depending on size of apartment and whether or not your heat is electric. Ours is. For a one-bedroom apartment, our winter electric bill is like $200. I know, right? Guess we don't have good insulation. In the summer, it's down to $120 or so, and that's with one wall air conditioner. I haven't had natural gas heat for a long time so I don't know. They used to have it set up so that you could pay the same amount every month instead of getting huge bills in the winter and very small bills in the summer. Made sense and made it easier to budget. They take an estimate of what your bill would be on an annual basis and divide it up by 12.

Apartments tend to NOT be friendly to pet owners. I'd estimate 50% of landlords will ban dogs from their apartments. You'll be able to find an apartment that accepts dogs, but might take a bit longer. If your dog is really small or really cute, convince your real estate agent (if you have one) to let you actually meet the landlord and bring the dog along so he/she can see how cute and quiet it is.

Dogs are accepted everywhere in the city. Well, I shouldn't say "accepted" as much as dog owners let their dogs do anything and everything they want. Read my brilliant post:

http://patch.com/A-s0WV

Dogs are allowed on the subway, on a leash. Dogs are allowed on the Boston Common and Public Garden on a leash. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I have often wondered if a cab driver can say no to you if you have a dog. I assume most drivers don't care, they just want your money. Find out and let us know.

ZipCar only allows pets in their cars if the pets are in carriers.
 
Thanks for the responses!

I've looking at Cambridge, Somerville, or even Waltham. I think we might be based in Boston, Cambridge, or Waltham for work. Looking at my salary, it might be around the mid-$30,000 range, with no debt.

I have a terrier that is a small (20-some pounds). He certainly "lives" at home, but if I could, I would like to bring him with me. Great blog post John--I agree with you on dogs not on leashes. Drives me nuts too.
 
You might want to look into a roommate. You could probably do North Cambridge, Porter , Inman, East Cambridge, Davis, or Union for ~$600 then. Otherwise, probably ~$1000 for a one bedroom.
 
600 if you are living with 2 or likely 3 people there. $1000 if just one. Even a 1 bedroom near porter/davis can run $1500 plus pretty quickly.
 
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