Commuting from Providence to Boston for college?

Hey guys,
As decisions are starting to roll in I’m looking at all aspects of finances including housing costs. I’m noticing that Boston is way more expensive to live in than I realized, and Providence/North Providence/Pawtucket is much cheaper to live in. My girlfriend and I will be splitting a place and it seems like there’s plenty of apartments for around $700-$800 in the Providence area but in the Boston area it’s mostly $1500-$1600. What’s it like to commute to Boston? I’m not set on a particular school, but a few of the schools I’d most like to go to are in the Boston area so I wanted to start learning more about the area. Are there areas near Boston that I should be looking into that might be cheaper than living near to the city center?

Thanks in advance for responses

@philbegas Driving or MBTA commuter rail?

Either way, it’s about a 2 hour commute from Providence to Boston (each way) so IMO it might not be worth doing that commute if you’re a college student.

Suburbs such as Brookline, Waltham, etc. tend to be cheaper though if you’re commuting via public transit, look for places near T stops.

Where are you getting the 2 hour each way figure? I’ve looked at google maps many times and it always says it’s around 1 hour +/- 15 min. I have a car that I would be bringing with me, but if this were to make sense, I would doing whichever took less time. I actually applied to Bentley and that’s in Waltham.

Are there any areas in the Boston that should be avoided? I haven’t spent much time in it.

@philbegas 1 - 1.25 hours almost always assumes good traffic along I-93/95. Travel times during Boston’s evening rush hour can get closer to 2 - 2.5 hours but it largely depends on where and when you’re going.

Depends…if you’re apartment hunting on a budget, avoid the Back Bay and Financial district, i.e. anything close to downtown.

Somewhat of a budget. Wouldn’t want to spend more than 1500/month if possible. What would be good neighborhoods to look in that are still relatively accessible via public transit to main Boston?

Are you a freshman? if so many schools in Boston require you to live on campus first and second year.

I’m a transfer student

Hi there, I’m from Boston and most of my family still lives there. Don’t commute from RI. It will take too much time and you won’t get the benefits of experiencing the city.

Here are some lower cost neighborhoods to check out: Dorchester (Ashmont area), East Boston (gentrifying fast), Sullivan Square area in Somerville (my off campus option long ago), and Brighton (not super cheap but close to BU, NEU, and BC).

In Boston, you pay a premium for being close to the T. If you are willing to walk 20-25 min to get to the T station, or take the bus, you will find lower rents.

Make sure you walk through the neighborhood during the day and at night to consider its safety. As a student, you may be coming home late. And remember that a 20 min walk that is delightful in April will be wicked cold in January.

Thanks for the info!

My girlfriend is going out and visiting boston and she said her family recommended she check out Brighton. Does the T run all night or does it stop around 1AMish like most public transportation does?

A second question I just thought of: Are there any cities between Providence and Boston that are nice to live in (along the main FWY) or are they all just sleepy suburbs?

There are 1 bedroom apartments in Waltham for rent for $1000
https://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/abo/6048576047.html
https://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/abo/6047713425.html

Some other options
https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/abo/6016394916.html
https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/abo/6044891998.html

Providence is too far to commute to school. There are lower cost areas in the Boston area but they can be tricky. I find city-data.com to be useful (I’ve scoped out neighborhoods in other cities for my kids).

Some roommate situations will take a couple sharing a room.

Brighton is mostly good. Allston is like a student ghetto. It could be fine for you guys. I like the East Somerville suggestion too. Dorchester can be tricky so you have to look carefully. Medford has some lower cost places. Some of the people that work for me live in Malden, which can be a great deal. There are decent parts of East Boston, Revere, Winthrop and Everett. Quincy can be good.

A lot depends on where exactly you will go to school, and how you will go about getting there.

For Bentley you want to be
Waltham is less expensive than a lot of places and you can keep your car.
Brighton would be good too.
Framingham has some inexpensive apartments but would probably be 30 minutes each way, less off rush hour.

Does one of you need to be in Providence?

I appreciate the input @ClassicRockerDad

Just to clear it up - no we do not necessarily have to split the commute. My girlfriend and I are still getting our responses (her for grad school, me as an undergrad transfer). We might end up in Philly, or NYC, Providence, or Boston or perhaps worse case scenario we will have to live separately in different cities… Neither of us are extremely familiar with Providence or Boston areas though, which is why I was asking about this, and if it was even possible. I’m more familiar with Philly and she’s more familiar with NYC and Philly areas. She’s from Bethlehem PA but she never really trekked too far N/NE.

I see. There are places you can live where you could go to Bentley and she could go to Providence. I’m thinking like Dedham, West Roxbury, Canton. Framingham, Ashland. You would probably elect to live closer to Boston because in the morning the traffic going toward Boston would be very slow and the traffic going toward Providence would likely be highway speed. I guess living near the MBTA Providence line, could work too.

Got it. I mean I wouldn’t necessarily have to take classes in the early morning. I could stack classes on certain days or take night classes and stuff. Either way, nothing is set in stone yet. I applied to schools in all areas, but the business schools in the Boston area are generally more expensive/more selective so we will see where I get in! I did get into Bryant and URI though.

The T still closes at midnight, I believe. With uber it is less of an issue.

Definitely - Well my girlfriend is visiting the area in a few weeks and as a girl, her idea of what’s safe is obviously a bit more cautious than me so as long as she’s fine with the area I’m sure I will be too.