If you’re a student and want to get a good sense for Boston and the surrounding cities (Cambridge/Somerville), don’t bother living in the burbs. Yes, the burbs will be cheaper and your commute may be quicker, but it will be more boring and harder logistically to spend time in the city.
As far as where to live to get a good balance between ease of access to the city, and a not terrible commute to Burlington, I’d recommend Somerville near Davis Square (fun area in its own right), Ball Square, or in Winter Hill. Check out Craigslist, sometimes apartments.com will list sublets, and there are Facebook groups for Boston and Somerville specifically with people offering sublets. Rent all depends on how many roommates you want and the quality of apartment. If you’re hoping to have only 1 roommate, I’d anticipate in the neighborhood of 1400/month for something decent.
What I will also say is the commute time is heavily time of day dependent, as getting onto 95 from 93 (one of the routes to Burlington from Somerville) can get quite backed up during rush hour. It is important to check Google maps during your actual commute times to get a good sense of how long your drive to/from work would be. Since it is a reverse commute, I’d expect 45 minutes or less, but not 100% on that.
FreshOwl3084 t1_isymivm wrote
Reply to Winter/Spring Student Co-Op in Massachusetts by busrideenthusiast
If you’re a student and want to get a good sense for Boston and the surrounding cities (Cambridge/Somerville), don’t bother living in the burbs. Yes, the burbs will be cheaper and your commute may be quicker, but it will be more boring and harder logistically to spend time in the city.
As far as where to live to get a good balance between ease of access to the city, and a not terrible commute to Burlington, I’d recommend Somerville near Davis Square (fun area in its own right), Ball Square, or in Winter Hill. Check out Craigslist, sometimes apartments.com will list sublets, and there are Facebook groups for Boston and Somerville specifically with people offering sublets. Rent all depends on how many roommates you want and the quality of apartment. If you’re hoping to have only 1 roommate, I’d anticipate in the neighborhood of 1400/month for something decent.
What I will also say is the commute time is heavily time of day dependent, as getting onto 95 from 93 (one of the routes to Burlington from Somerville) can get quite backed up during rush hour. It is important to check Google maps during your actual commute times to get a good sense of how long your drive to/from work would be. Since it is a reverse commute, I’d expect 45 minutes or less, but not 100% on that.