<p>I inquired about funding at Tufts before I made the decision not to apply as a direct PhD entry (but I don't think it's a funding issue) and I got the following answer: $22,660 a year plus $5,500 summer grants, subject to availability. Keep in mind that all PhD students in physics get tuition remission.</p>
<p>I fear that it's very difficult to live on a $22,660 yearly budget in Boston (or, more accurately, Medford/Somerville) so I wonder if I should keep that option open, should I feel the need to transfer from a graduate school to another. Is $22,660 a livable budget in Boston?</p>
<p>Short story - more expensive than most of the country, but less expensive than NYC, San Francisco, and a few other places</p>
<p>At the Medford/Somerville campus you can find decent housing withing biking distance for about $600 a month if you have roommates (everyone gets their own bedroom), maybe less depending on how far you’re willing to commute and if you’re willing to be more towards Medford than Somerville (1.5-2 miles vs. 1 mile - still not far). Over a year that comes out to $7200, which is not at all excessive. If you want to live closer to Davis (which is a lot more fun) you might pay closer to $700 a month, but that can range pretty wildly.
For the rest of your expenses it’s pretty much up to you. If you shop at Whole Foods you’ll pay more for groceries than if you shop at Shaws (which I think is still accessible via MBTA bus but is within walking distance of the Somerville side of campus); you can pay even less if you have transportation to get to Market Basket. All I can say beyond that is that groceries in Boston are cheaper than groceries in Silicon Valley.
If you frequently eat out or go to bars then you can easily spend a lot of money but that’s true anywhere.
The public transportation in the Boston area is fairly extensive and is cheaper and more accessible than in other parts of the country (or at least than the Bay Area).</p>
<p>So with $22,660 you certainly won’t be living the high life but you can get by, especially being out in Medford/Somerville instead of living in Boston.</p>
<p>I’d say academic year but I think that, as a graduate student, I would be better off staying on-campus for the summer, so really, depending on the situation, it can be either one.</p>