Moving to Boston? || Pros and Cons of Living in Boston 

I’m thankful I moved to Boston from Connecticut back in 2017… It was the best adult decision I had made

I agree 💯 Boston is a very beautiful place to be, with a lot of opportunities and mind-blowing places to go and chill out. If you like to be adventurous with foods, Boston is a good place too! There are also a good number of stores to shop, both the pocket friendly ones and the Ivy levels 😂...

I recommend checking out the brownstones in Brighton or Allston-Brighton. Many of them tend to have entire apartments on one floor and two bathrooms at least. Typically you would be sharing a bathroom with only one other person which is reasonable. Living in downtown Boston proper is completely unreasonable and not worth it. Brighton center, Allston-Brighton, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain or East Boston are going to be your best bets. I recommend avoiding Roxbury and most parts or Dorchester due to crime. I also recommend avoiding Cambridge or Somerville due to the insane price of rents. Don't even bother with the seaport, it's 3000 dollars for a studio apartment

Thanks. I am moving to Boston in November and this was helpful. I am originally from Chicago. So, the weather won't bother me as much.

Good Lord you are stunning!!! 😍 and your voice is so soothing. I could listen to you talk about anything

My hometown! Yes it is expensive.

Boston is just to expensive for my liking, there much cheaper states with better weather condition to live in jare lol!

Great video! Looking to move to Boston later this year, and this helped a lot!

She's speaking the truth. I make $90k/year and live in a small one bedroom apartment and drive a 14 year old car. I don't know how people make ends meet on anything less. If i had student loans or a car payment i would be living paycheck to paycheck.

Thanks for sharing 👍

I agree about housing costs, we must do better.

It seems living in an apartment with a private bath is reserved for kings in the US. Sending lots of love from Virginia.

I feel ya on the love hate feelings on Boston. I grew up here and on one level it was a lot more vibrant in the 7'0s and 80's, as in more nightlife, more affordable though way more gritty. Believe it or not Copley Sq was kind of funky back then, with jazz clubas and some punk shows. Park Sq which basically doesn't exist anymore had the Playboy club,, the hillbilly Ranch etc. Kenmore was a nitelife destination and is now pretty much dead. All that provided lots of character but at the same time there was way more violence, police corruption and racism. I thankfully grew up in the South End (not to be confused with Southie...nothing against Southie mind you but back in the 70's Southie and the South End were bitter enemies. The South End was very ethnically diverse with Black, White , Puerto Rican, Asian, Greek, Lebanese, Syrians etc etc.... and also a big gay community and a lot of left leaning folks remaining from the 50;s and 60;s., I'll caveat this with the fact that I am white,... but, I do feel its much more relaxed racially that when I was growing up. In general the place has mellowed out...believe it or not compared with the 70's. I left Boston in the late 90's partly out of frustration after spending time in Paris, New York, London. These cities 10 times bigger and it's easier to get around. Boston has so much potential. Make the T 24 hours..relax liquor laws , more bars , clubs music venues,...make it easier to have fun... then again why try to be what we are not and appreciate what we are.

We just had the best winter in 2023. Almost no snow and mild temperature.

I grew up just outside the city in Quincy. Rent is better here than the city however since I’m so used to expecting the costs to be higher whenever I go to other places in America ( besides NYC ) everything feels very cheap

It doesn’t snow anymore. And it isn’t as cold as it used to be. But it is dark all the time and wet and windy.

Amara all the best. Really informative.

It seems like there’s more pros than cons if I’m hearing it right 🙏

Overall, I agreed with most of your points. Some may be a bit out of context. Boston, as in Boston Boston? I only ask that because Boston actually covers A LOT. People here sometimes refer to "Greater Boston", which covers anything from Cambridge to Quincy. As far as rental and housing, yes, they are expensive. However, it appears that you are referring to the city of Boston area. If you venture out a bit to Malden, Revere, Quincy or Dorchester area, you can find more reasonable accommodations. But, to your point, they may not be that nice, which you can't really compare when Boston is one of the oldest cities in the US. Another point regarding cost, it depends on how "smart" you are. Boston has many low cost grocery options, and cooking for yourself will ALWAYS be cheaper than dining out. Aldi, Market Basket just to name a few. So if you really care about saving, you may go with a friend with a car on the weekend and shop your whole week of groceries. Or use Zipcar on the weekend, still cheaper than having a car. I work in Downtown Boston, and I can find food truck for $10 lunch, or some local deli for a good size sandwich for $12 that will last me two meals. You can still eat fairly cheaply. Again, just be "smart". MBTA is a pro when you realize how expensive it is to have a car in MA. Insurance is more expensive, maintenance is more expensive, and more taxes on having a vehicle. So, MBTA is really at the end of the day, a pro. I am also comparing it to CA and NYC, where only NorCal has one, and not that great either. NYC subway is just gross, and it always look like a murder scene. No thanks. I lived in Boston for almost 9 years now, and absolutely no regret moving from California. The history, cultural, career opportunities and seasons are incomparable.

Boston is walkable, historical, and great places to eat..those are the pros. Cons are if you move to Boston as a 30 something for a job...you'll find it's super cliquey. And people in Boston don't seem to have a sense of humor

Grew up in the Boston Area: Cons: Parking - Good luck finding a spot. Traffic: Hope you enjoy heavy non moving jams - plenty here - year round. Better be a liberal, I mean extreme liberal. Conservatives not allowed. Pros: Great Sports Great Eating Great Seafood Lots & Lots of colleges.

Born and raised in Boston.40 years. 6 minutes from downtown. I sold my home in 2004 and took the money and ran haha and moved to Florida! I love living in FL, minus the harassment for my Boston accent haha, I could never move back there, FL is stunning it's absolutely gorgeous here. A few of my neighbors are from Boston and NY.. We have a lot of northerners here in my area. But I do love my home town Boston as well, I go up every summer to visit my father by week 1 I am done lol. I can't wait to get back home here in FL . Great video! Well done and said!

Wonderful...

I got accepted to study a Berklee College of Music and I am so stressed out about finding affordable accommodation.

You are looking beautiful everyday😍

I think the bus to NYC is only 2-3 hours! I just took it! But thank you for this video

Dear amara Please do u know if theres any date for interview,yet for Spring 2023

You are looking more beautiful 😍

Weather in Boston is not extreme by any means. Also, many people like me enjoy the winter. Which by the is more like mid dec - mid March. Today dec. 16 its currently 44f at 3:46. Come on folks bitching about weather is so silly

Moving from ATL Ato Boston any good place to buy house? and good schools

Totally agree💯💯

Heyyyy. Amara its been a long time😄

Must give two thumbs down. Weather are you sure your in Boston? Past 2 winters have been warm and mostly sunny. I thought when I came here in Dec 2022. Except for 2 wks in Feb 2023, 2024. Boston is like upstate NY in Spring time! This yr 2024, Logan had 9.3 ins of snow, 3rd least snowy, and 2023 9.7 , 6th least snowy.

Are you West Indian? Or African?

Being from here, fuck that I’m outta here. I’m so sick of shoveling and Black ice

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Boston at least 40% black?

You're so cute & like your charisma.

Hmmm...Boston cancelled!!

Best review ever. I totally agree with you on many things, but you missed a couple cons: Ridiculous cost of living purposefully exaggerated by conservative white homeowners statewide. The charm of Boston is given by all the universities located there, just like other parts of the country, if it weren't for that, the infrastructure, as old and well maintained as it is, would be much worse now. The quality of housing is extremely poor. People romanticize neighborhoods and suburbs where only native whites have the "quality of life" so touted in the press, the rest? At Brockton, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn and Dorchester/Roxbury, the pie will not touch you unless you are part of the 200-year-old parishioner. The store fronts in many of the towns and streets of Brookline (where I live) are screens, if you look closer and live from day to day you realize that most of it is garbage and that they are on newsprint dated 1998, they serve no real purpose other than to maintain an enforced "authenticity" that protects the real estate interests of the most greedy and cheap landlords across the country. The worst-maintained streets after Rhode Island, Boston is literally full of potholes. The food serves the interests of a mostly student and commuter, absolutely awful, worst restaurant scene in the entire country. On the positive side, everything works, the state gives you hope for the future as its institutions and finances are solid. Is it very interesting to visit? To live? It is not so, being so isolated people take the kool-aid that everything that exists in MA is unique and cannot be found anywhere in the country. As an ordinary person, you are more likely to live in a suburb of Quincy, with zero amenities and a painful commute to Boston for work each day, zero nightlife, low diversity, and a generally complacent "needs" life and business as usual, all while maintaining racially coded "attitudes" and "expectations." Massachusetts is not for someone who wants something more in life.

Lmao!! MBTA is the biggest Con! You said it lol

Is it racist? I hear that a lot

I haven't heard the (R) word yet. RRRRRRacist. That word is so overused anyway.

It literally doesn’t snow anymore. I’m a plow driver in Boston and was called out 3 times last year. 4 year before…..

Born and raised, and yes it is kind of high. I think every major city is up with high rent, unless it’s the country. I’m currently in Ohio, and I hate it!!! I’d take being home with high rent any day.😂 👏🏾

And it's close to Oak Bkuffs, Marthas Vineyard. And hiking and skiing. And the city has beaches. And weed is legal and abundant.

this is a great video, i'll be relocating soon for work and don't know the first thing about boston!

Thank you for sharing, this was very helpful!

Hello 👋 was just looking for something like this... Can u help with finding a cool and affordable accommodation around Paxton

Hey I live right by Fanual hall And I ve got a really nice place for that's very Affordable. It's who you Know.

Great videos

Great review

Yaay! Good Friday. Great video! 👏

Pros: there are tons of beautiful women thanks to MGH, tech world, schools. Cons: you can’t get one unless you make 6 figures and have a solid job by solid I mean some sort of authority. Even back of the line sleevless moo moo with hairy armpit has a choice and you don’t!

I live in boston for 30 years, now in worcester, i have my own house, you are gorgeous, i am looking for a ebony african queen to take care of. I LOVE YOUR ACCENT!