residency in boston

[JM26]

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I am working on my rank list and interviewed at 2 programs in Boston that I really liked. My concern is cost of living.
How do residents make it work? I'd be moving there by myself.

 

[OddNath]

The residency salary is definitely higher here in Boston than it was in Texas. People have roommates, or you just get used to living in a smaller apartment.

 

[j4pac]

The residency salary is definitely higher here in Boston than it was in Texas. People have roommates, or you just get used to living in a smaller apartment.

I highly doubt that it is enough to offset cost of living. If you make $45,000 in Dallas, you will need to make nearly $70,000 in Boston to maintain the same standard of living.

 

[deleted444089]

Get a roommate and live within your means. You will make about $800 weekly ($55-58 pre-tax) but can make it work. I did as a medical student with a meager military HPSP stipend (at the time WAAAAY less than $2400 a month) and some loans. I am thankful to be going back to a similar area in the near future with no loans and the post 9-11 G.I. Bill.

 

[OddNath]

I highly doubt that it is enough to offset cost of living. If you make $45,000 in Dallas, you will need to make nearly $70,000 in Boston to maintain the same standard of living.

I went from $46,000 in San Antonio to $64,000 in Boston, which is a considerable jump. But yeah, you do need to have some different expectations in Boston- it's not the kind of place where you can buy a nearby house/condo for $150,000 or pay $600/month for a decently-sized single room. Everything is smaller/denser/more expensive, but even after living in Texas my whole life, it's really not that bad.

One thing money cannot buy up here- breakfast tacos. God I miss breakfast tacos.

 

[Bobblehead]

If you can avoid owning a car during residency in Boston it will significantly lower your cost of living assuming you're using to having off-street parking available to you. Residency is also not conducive to street parking in Boston. You will get your towed at least twice a year for street cleaning and/or snow emergencies.

 

[Abby_Normal]

Also looking at residency in Boston...

How do you find your commute? Based upon what Google Maps told me when I was planning my interview trips, it looks like going even a couple of miles can take 40+ minutes on public transit.

 

[OddNath]

I live in Brookline, a 1 mile walk to Children's/Brigham/BI. Pretty easy. It's nice not having to worry about train schedules or digging a car out of snow.

For transit, it depends. If you're going to MGH and live directly on the red line, it could be a quick trip. Having to take any above-ground green line before switching lines is much more time-consuming.