In 1984-87 I had a small but ideally located apartment on Beacon Hill that was $450 a month. I wanted to live alone and knew I had to spend more for that reason. All my friends were living in co-op houses in Cambridge for practically nothing.

It was a dream location, so glad I got to live there. $450= about $1250 today. I don't think you can get an apartment like that on Beacon Hill for that now. I was making about $18,000 a year at a nonprofit, equiv now to about $50,000. I wasn't living extravagantly, but I had a perfectly nice life. (and yes, I'm old).