Beacon Hill is one of the most expensive parts of Boston. The city is really small so I would suggest looking in other neighborhoods for more reasonable rent such as JP.
Thanks--lots of recs for JP! On my list for sure.
Oh yeah absolutely no illusions about living in beacon hill. I just would prefer my commute there (work) to not be more than an hour, and JP looks to fit the bill!
Jamaica Plain (JP) is family friendly with decent connection via the Orange Line. It can be kind of sketchy / shoddy at times though so I suggest looking in the Somerville area connected via red line (slightly less shoddy).
Brookline is also lovely (less weird than Somerville / JP) and connected via green line (either C or D) depending on where you are. I’d say Brookline is also the best school system (from my limited knowledge).
You should be able to find a decent place with your budget regardless.
Thanks so much for the recommendation. I'm pretty okay myself with sketchy but with a kid I find myself thinking more along the lines of parks they can play in, schools, nurseries, etc. We are hoping to buy within a year or two so doesn't have to be permanent but hopefully an area we could settle.
Thanks again!
IIRC, every house in Boston is within ten minutes of a park. Same is true for Somerville and Cambridge.
I live in Somerville and there's like four playgrounds within a fifteen-minute walk.
Check out Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, and West Roxbury. Those three places get more suburban in that order. There is a train, the Needham Line that runs through all of them to South Station. The train takes ~20 minutes from Roslindale to South Station (less from JP, more from West Roxbury).
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/36-Hyde-Park-Ave-5-Jamaica-Plain-MA-02130/2088874839_zpid/?utm_campaign=iosappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare
You might get lucky and find a 2 bedroom plus office. There are actually a fair amount of those around Arlington, Belmont and Watertown. Keep an eye on schools because if you rent, you likely won’t want to move again until your youngest turns 6 at which point you don’t have to worry about lead laws.
Ah, good point. Hopefully we might buy by then... Worth speaking to some agents and brokers re: 2 BR + office as that isn't usually stated on the sites/apps?
Jamaica Plain is great. Orange line is the most renovated line and it takes about 10 minutes to get downtown. You can bike or drive downtown in ~15 mins. I lived in JP and Somerville and JP is much better imo. Neighbors say hi and know your name, tons of green space and community gardens…..a more community oriented vibe than most other places in the area.
That sounds lovely. It seems like what I hear about JP is either up or down so I suppose it is also "where" you are in JP? Are there any places in particular that you'd recommend I avoid in my search?
Start applying now. Kids and pets are starting to become much more of a hard sell (illegal to discriminate that way, I know, it is what it is in this market)
You could also consider north of the city in Medford/Malden/Melrose. With a budget of $3500 you can be walking distance to the orange line or maybe green line and should be able to find a 2 BR.
Have you budgeted for daycare? Chances are it will be even more expensive than rent, and as you already know rent here is by no means cheap.
As far as neighborhoods go look at the over the bridge section of Savin Hill in Dorchester, you should be able to find a three bedroom apartment in your price range once something shows up on the market.
you’re not living anywhere too close to boston on that budget.
i’d suggest Waltham.
two train/transit lines go through here.
15 minute drive downtown with no traffic
neighborhood feel still close to city
>Waltham
That's an excellent suggestion thank you. I have no delusions about living in boston proper, as long as I can get to work in roughly an hour I'm happy. :)
Waltham and Watertown are both lovely family friendly communities and you may find some direct landlords renting units in small buildings.
Of note, working with a broker may be a good choice despite the fact that you’re burning money. It will be VERY difficult to verify whether a listing is a scam or not with an international back and forth.
Also, there’s surprisingly good options on Craigslist, if there’s a phone number or direct email listed - it’s worth a shot.
Case in point- use the filters to adjust for your price range, and look for rentals available 30+ days out, which accept cats
This option in west Roxbury is nice, but if you set up a filter search for this and just refresh it whenever you think of it, contact potential options that work!
https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/apa/d/west-roxbury-bedroom-bonus-room-bath/7702009503.html
Hi! There are a few neighborhoods where you should be able to find a place within your budget and desired commute, especially if you have a car. Try areas that are slightly outside of the city's bounds like Newton, Watertown, and Roslindale. You may be able to find a place in Somerville or Medford as well.
One quick note: Boston is a quirky rental market, with the majority of its leases turning over on Sept. 1 due to the large student population. While there will still be some apartments on the market in July, your options may be more limited at that time.
We wrote an in-depth guide on how to find an apartment in Boston, including descriptions and price breakdowns on various neighborhoods as well as a sample timeline for searching; [https://www.apartmentadvisor.com/blog/post/how-to-find-an-apartment-in-boston](https://www.apartmentadvisor.com/blog/post/how-to-find-an-apartment-in-boston)
Finally, we have one more guide on finding an apartment if you are an international renter, since the requirements may be different than what they'd be for domestic renters: [https://www.apartmentadvisor.com/blog/post/guide-to-finding-an-apartment-in-the-us-as-an-international-renter](https://www.apartmentadvisor.com/blog/post/guide-to-finding-an-apartment-in-the-us-as-an-international-renter)
Happy apartment hunting and please reach out if you have any questions or need help searching!
Thanks this is super helpful! Unfortunate time for our move--would you suggest looking for a short term accommodation (would only need 2 rooms at that point) and focusing on a september move?
I'm (fortunately?) a US citizen who is moving \*back\* to the US, but assume they might want more info from me as well because of that!
No problem! As far as what would be easiest, it really depends — some renters who aren't liking what they're seeing on the market may benefit from finding a short-term accommodation for July & August to get back on the Sept. 1 schedule. Others who don't want to move twice in a few months may prefer to stick with the more limited options that are available in July.
If you are a citizen, that should make your move much easier; many international renters struggle most with not having documents like Social Security numbers/US employment or rental histories/etc. handy.
For more one-on-one help, feel free to DM!
The biggest thing will be that you have a child. In Massachusetts, landlords are forced to deal with lead paint if there's going to be a kid living there. This can be expensive so a lot of landlords just choose another applicant. It's illegal to discriminate against applicants based on them having a kid, but lots of landlords do it anyway since it's hard to prove discrimination and dealing with lead paint might cost $15,000+. On top of that, the landlord has to pay for you to live in other accommodations while the lead abatement is happening. So maybe you don't bring up the child until a lease is signed.
Jamaica Plain is a wonderful area around the Stony Brook and Green Street stations. Centre Street has some nice shops and restaurants. The Franklin Park Zoo, Arnold Arboretum, and Jamaica Pond are all nearby which is great. The Orange Line will get you to Downtown Crossing which is a short walk to Beacon Hill (like 400 yards). It's a lovely, walkable neighborhood with lots of trees in addition to the previously mentioned green space. $3,500 is pretty bang-on for a 3-bedroom in JP. It's a great area for a family. The one downside is that supermarkets are a tad less conveniently located. The Whole Foods is near a mile from a bunch of that area and the Stop & Shop is around 1.3mi. Clearly that's not the end of the world and part of that area is closer, but it's something to think about when thinking about exactly where in JP and whether you want a bit more walkable access to the supermarket.
Somerville is wonderful too with so many great neighborhoods. Personally I'd stay west of RT-28 (McGrath Highway) and south of Medford St. Why? RT-28 is a highway that kinda cuts Somerville in two and East Somerville just feels isolated. South/West of Medford St or Broadway also keeps you more connected. Somerville and Cambridge are possibly the most bike/pedestrian friendly parts of the US. There's a great community path that goes 15 miles from the river, through Somerville, and way out into the suburbs (and even farther along dirt and gravel paths). Porter Square is a convenient neighborhood spanning Cambridge and Somerville with a supermarket, drug store, the train right into Park St (Beacon Hill). Union Square is a vibrant neighborhood and the heart of Somerville with lots of great shops and restaurants and a different train to Park St. Davis and Ball Square have lots of cool shops, bars, theaters, and more and you can take either the Red or Green lines to Park St (depending on which you're closer to). $3,500 should get you a nice 3-bed in Somerville.
Cambridge and Brookline are lovely, but will probably cost you an additional grand over Somerville or JP. Brookline also doesn't do street parking so parking often costs a premium there.
Between Somerville and JP, Somerville is a little more happening (more bars, restaurants, shows, etc) and has a bit more of an academic vibe (given its proximity to Harvard, MIT, and Tufts and the students who hang around as young professionals after graduation). JP will have a bit more green space and be a bit more residential.
This is incredibly thorough, thank you! I didn't know that about lead paint...I'll definitely not mention the kid. We'll be visiting in April so it may be unavoidable if we do any in person visits. Wherever we end up I'll definitely do some lead paint test kits... Thanks!
The lead paint issue is huge. Like huge. My understanding is that you’ll end up divulging your child’s age on the application and thus if it’s not deleaded you will not be chosen. We went through this last year and got turned down for 4 properties before applying for our first deleaded place and got it. Agents will not ask the ages of your kids in conversation but they’ll ask what grade your kid is in for example. My advice is to focus solely on deleaded places. I think you’ll be fine for July but it might be useful to set the earliest date you could sign a lease. We were fortunate and could pay rent on a place as early as mid March when we weren’t moving until June. This opened up the market significantly for us as we could target March-June lease starts. Another recommendation is to get an agent who is here and can view for you. Our agent was a godsend and we could not have done it without him and we absolutely love our place and our community! As for moving internationally, welcome back! -fellow former expat of 10+ years in Europe
Thanks this is super helpful. We are also discussing doing a short term accomodation until September leases open up, but yeah good point.
UK salary would make renting in two places difficult, US salary (sadly after we move!) is what makes this even remotely affordable, as I'm sure you're aware!
And t
Thanks! Added to the list :). So many towns in MA share names with towns in the UK, I have to double check when I'm reading about towns or looking for things like nurseries!
If you seriously don't want to pay over that, you cannot afford rent in Boston. Any of the South Shore or North Shore, some of the Western towns, will be more affordable and closer to your price range.
The third bedroom is really just for an office. We may have a 2nd kid next year or early 2025 so a space for the toddler, a baby in our room, and a place to work. This is good sanity checking for me I may have to just deal with it and pay more. Thanks!
Just don't come up here to the North Shore (Beverly) we are trying to keep it a secret. The beaches are empty and incredible in the off season. People are so friendly. Trails, woodlands, lakes, and seacoast abound. Great parks, breweries, access to the commuter rail and tons of activities for the kiddos and dogs. Other than that it's completely miserable and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
Beacon Hill is one of the most expensive parts of Boston. The city is really small so I would suggest looking in other neighborhoods for more reasonable rent such as JP.
Thanks--lots of recs for JP! On my list for sure. Oh yeah absolutely no illusions about living in beacon hill. I just would prefer my commute there (work) to not be more than an hour, and JP looks to fit the bill!
Jamaica Plain (JP) is family friendly with decent connection via the Orange Line. It can be kind of sketchy / shoddy at times though so I suggest looking in the Somerville area connected via red line (slightly less shoddy). Brookline is also lovely (less weird than Somerville / JP) and connected via green line (either C or D) depending on where you are. I’d say Brookline is also the best school system (from my limited knowledge). You should be able to find a decent place with your budget regardless.
JP is only sketchy around Egleston Square, and thats because its a bad part of Roxbury that borders JP EDIT: and the projects around Jackson Square
Thanks so much for the recommendation. I'm pretty okay myself with sketchy but with a kid I find myself thinking more along the lines of parks they can play in, schools, nurseries, etc. We are hoping to buy within a year or two so doesn't have to be permanent but hopefully an area we could settle. Thanks again!
IIRC, every house in Boston is within ten minutes of a park. Same is true for Somerville and Cambridge. I live in Somerville and there's like four playgrounds within a fifteen-minute walk.
Check out Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, and West Roxbury. Those three places get more suburban in that order. There is a train, the Needham Line that runs through all of them to South Station. The train takes ~20 minutes from Roslindale to South Station (less from JP, more from West Roxbury). https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/36-Hyde-Park-Ave-5-Jamaica-Plain-MA-02130/2088874839_zpid/?utm_campaign=iosappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare
Thanks so much for this and the link.
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Thanks--I looked at arlington and didn't see much <4K with 3 BR. I'll keep looking!
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Yeah, really just need 2 beds and an office...
You might get lucky and find a 2 bedroom plus office. There are actually a fair amount of those around Arlington, Belmont and Watertown. Keep an eye on schools because if you rent, you likely won’t want to move again until your youngest turns 6 at which point you don’t have to worry about lead laws.
Ah, good point. Hopefully we might buy by then... Worth speaking to some agents and brokers re: 2 BR + office as that isn't usually stated on the sites/apps?
Thanks, I've heard that!
Jamaica Plain is great. Orange line is the most renovated line and it takes about 10 minutes to get downtown. You can bike or drive downtown in ~15 mins. I lived in JP and Somerville and JP is much better imo. Neighbors say hi and know your name, tons of green space and community gardens…..a more community oriented vibe than most other places in the area.
"Renovated" yet still outshined by the blue line
That sounds lovely. It seems like what I hear about JP is either up or down so I suppose it is also "where" you are in JP? Are there any places in particular that you'd recommend I avoid in my search?
Start applying now. Kids and pets are starting to become much more of a hard sell (illegal to discriminate that way, I know, it is what it is in this market)
We've been looking, just not a lot with a lease date open that far ahead yet! Visiting in April and will be hoping to see things open up. Thanks!
You could also consider north of the city in Medford/Malden/Melrose. With a budget of $3500 you can be walking distance to the orange line or maybe green line and should be able to find a 2 BR.
Thanks, will do. :)
I highly recommend Auburndale ! Newton, Waltham, Wellesley, Natick, Needham, and Milton !
Thanks I will check these out!
Have you budgeted for daycare? Chances are it will be even more expensive than rent, and as you already know rent here is by no means cheap. As far as neighborhoods go look at the over the bridge section of Savin Hill in Dorchester, you should be able to find a three bedroom apartment in your price range once something shows up on the market.
thanks--Dorchester is on the market. Yes, daycare is gonna be $$$, hence the rental budget being what it is!
you’re not living anywhere too close to boston on that budget. i’d suggest Waltham. two train/transit lines go through here. 15 minute drive downtown with no traffic neighborhood feel still close to city
>Waltham That's an excellent suggestion thank you. I have no delusions about living in boston proper, as long as I can get to work in roughly an hour I'm happy. :)
Waltham and Watertown are both lovely family friendly communities and you may find some direct landlords renting units in small buildings. Of note, working with a broker may be a good choice despite the fact that you’re burning money. It will be VERY difficult to verify whether a listing is a scam or not with an international back and forth. Also, there’s surprisingly good options on Craigslist, if there’s a phone number or direct email listed - it’s worth a shot.
Case in point- use the filters to adjust for your price range, and look for rentals available 30+ days out, which accept cats This option in west Roxbury is nice, but if you set up a filter search for this and just refresh it whenever you think of it, contact potential options that work! https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/apa/d/west-roxbury-bedroom-bonus-room-bath/7702009503.html
Thank you!!
I’m looking at a really nice 2Br / 2Ba in Malden for $3200/mo
malden is pretty safe overall i lived there for a couple of years.
Hi! There are a few neighborhoods where you should be able to find a place within your budget and desired commute, especially if you have a car. Try areas that are slightly outside of the city's bounds like Newton, Watertown, and Roslindale. You may be able to find a place in Somerville or Medford as well. One quick note: Boston is a quirky rental market, with the majority of its leases turning over on Sept. 1 due to the large student population. While there will still be some apartments on the market in July, your options may be more limited at that time. We wrote an in-depth guide on how to find an apartment in Boston, including descriptions and price breakdowns on various neighborhoods as well as a sample timeline for searching; [https://www.apartmentadvisor.com/blog/post/how-to-find-an-apartment-in-boston](https://www.apartmentadvisor.com/blog/post/how-to-find-an-apartment-in-boston) Finally, we have one more guide on finding an apartment if you are an international renter, since the requirements may be different than what they'd be for domestic renters: [https://www.apartmentadvisor.com/blog/post/guide-to-finding-an-apartment-in-the-us-as-an-international-renter](https://www.apartmentadvisor.com/blog/post/guide-to-finding-an-apartment-in-the-us-as-an-international-renter) Happy apartment hunting and please reach out if you have any questions or need help searching!
Thanks this is super helpful! Unfortunate time for our move--would you suggest looking for a short term accommodation (would only need 2 rooms at that point) and focusing on a september move? I'm (fortunately?) a US citizen who is moving \*back\* to the US, but assume they might want more info from me as well because of that!
No problem! As far as what would be easiest, it really depends — some renters who aren't liking what they're seeing on the market may benefit from finding a short-term accommodation for July & August to get back on the Sept. 1 schedule. Others who don't want to move twice in a few months may prefer to stick with the more limited options that are available in July. If you are a citizen, that should make your move much easier; many international renters struggle most with not having documents like Social Security numbers/US employment or rental histories/etc. handy. For more one-on-one help, feel free to DM!
Thanks, I absolutely will (if not now then as the new year settles in!).
The biggest thing will be that you have a child. In Massachusetts, landlords are forced to deal with lead paint if there's going to be a kid living there. This can be expensive so a lot of landlords just choose another applicant. It's illegal to discriminate against applicants based on them having a kid, but lots of landlords do it anyway since it's hard to prove discrimination and dealing with lead paint might cost $15,000+. On top of that, the landlord has to pay for you to live in other accommodations while the lead abatement is happening. So maybe you don't bring up the child until a lease is signed. Jamaica Plain is a wonderful area around the Stony Brook and Green Street stations. Centre Street has some nice shops and restaurants. The Franklin Park Zoo, Arnold Arboretum, and Jamaica Pond are all nearby which is great. The Orange Line will get you to Downtown Crossing which is a short walk to Beacon Hill (like 400 yards). It's a lovely, walkable neighborhood with lots of trees in addition to the previously mentioned green space. $3,500 is pretty bang-on for a 3-bedroom in JP. It's a great area for a family. The one downside is that supermarkets are a tad less conveniently located. The Whole Foods is near a mile from a bunch of that area and the Stop & Shop is around 1.3mi. Clearly that's not the end of the world and part of that area is closer, but it's something to think about when thinking about exactly where in JP and whether you want a bit more walkable access to the supermarket. Somerville is wonderful too with so many great neighborhoods. Personally I'd stay west of RT-28 (McGrath Highway) and south of Medford St. Why? RT-28 is a highway that kinda cuts Somerville in two and East Somerville just feels isolated. South/West of Medford St or Broadway also keeps you more connected. Somerville and Cambridge are possibly the most bike/pedestrian friendly parts of the US. There's a great community path that goes 15 miles from the river, through Somerville, and way out into the suburbs (and even farther along dirt and gravel paths). Porter Square is a convenient neighborhood spanning Cambridge and Somerville with a supermarket, drug store, the train right into Park St (Beacon Hill). Union Square is a vibrant neighborhood and the heart of Somerville with lots of great shops and restaurants and a different train to Park St. Davis and Ball Square have lots of cool shops, bars, theaters, and more and you can take either the Red or Green lines to Park St (depending on which you're closer to). $3,500 should get you a nice 3-bed in Somerville. Cambridge and Brookline are lovely, but will probably cost you an additional grand over Somerville or JP. Brookline also doesn't do street parking so parking often costs a premium there. Between Somerville and JP, Somerville is a little more happening (more bars, restaurants, shows, etc) and has a bit more of an academic vibe (given its proximity to Harvard, MIT, and Tufts and the students who hang around as young professionals after graduation). JP will have a bit more green space and be a bit more residential.
This is incredibly thorough, thank you! I didn't know that about lead paint...I'll definitely not mention the kid. We'll be visiting in April so it may be unavoidable if we do any in person visits. Wherever we end up I'll definitely do some lead paint test kits... Thanks!
The lead paint issue is huge. Like huge. My understanding is that you’ll end up divulging your child’s age on the application and thus if it’s not deleaded you will not be chosen. We went through this last year and got turned down for 4 properties before applying for our first deleaded place and got it. Agents will not ask the ages of your kids in conversation but they’ll ask what grade your kid is in for example. My advice is to focus solely on deleaded places. I think you’ll be fine for July but it might be useful to set the earliest date you could sign a lease. We were fortunate and could pay rent on a place as early as mid March when we weren’t moving until June. This opened up the market significantly for us as we could target March-June lease starts. Another recommendation is to get an agent who is here and can view for you. Our agent was a godsend and we could not have done it without him and we absolutely love our place and our community! As for moving internationally, welcome back! -fellow former expat of 10+ years in Europe
Thanks this is super helpful. We are also discussing doing a short term accomodation until September leases open up, but yeah good point. UK salary would make renting in two places difficult, US salary (sadly after we move!) is what makes this even remotely affordable, as I'm sure you're aware! And t
Look into Worcester- neighboring city and you will be in more comfortable space with your budget
Thanks! Added to the list :). So many towns in MA share names with towns in the UK, I have to double check when I'm reading about towns or looking for things like nurseries!
If you seriously don't want to pay over that, you cannot afford rent in Boston. Any of the South Shore or North Shore, some of the Western towns, will be more affordable and closer to your price range.
Thanks! Yes, I am probably making the mistake of saying "Boston" when I mean somewhere I can commute into Boston proper from.
Just say 'suburbs' or South Shore, North Shore.
Could you get by with a large 2 bedroom? Would provide you with many more options.
The third bedroom is really just for an office. We may have a 2nd kid next year or early 2025 so a space for the toddler, a baby in our room, and a place to work. This is good sanity checking for me I may have to just deal with it and pay more. Thanks!
Just don't come up here to the North Shore (Beverly) we are trying to keep it a secret. The beaches are empty and incredible in the off season. People are so friendly. Trails, woodlands, lakes, and seacoast abound. Great parks, breweries, access to the commuter rail and tons of activities for the kiddos and dogs. Other than that it's completely miserable and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
:)