How bad is the cost of living in Cambridge? Potential graduate student here

Submitted by Confused_Student_14 t3_116yu48 in CambridgeMA

Hi, so I've been living in a very cheap part of the US for the last few years, but I am fortunate enough to have the option of moving to Cambridge for grad school. My stipend would be about $37,000 before tax. How liveable is this? I'd be attending Harvard and I'd try to get a place on campus if I could, but if not, I'd likely be splitting a place or commuting in. I don't really drink or party much but I like to eat out and I'd ideally like to be within walking distance, although I know that's near impossible.

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oh_nice_marmot t1_j99bbs7 wrote

37k is livable in Cambridge if you have a roommate or two and not many expenses other than rent.

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jk_1236 t1_j99mj8f wrote

Try to cook as much as possible, grad student stipend is livable but you will have to make adjustments and compromises

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smudgejudy t1_j99r3w3 wrote

I’m a current grad student making that amount while living in Cambridge. As others have said, I’ve been able to keep my rent around $1000/month by living with roommates. These have been in spots that are walkable to work. My understanding is that Harvard housing tends to be more expensive than this, but I haven’t looked recently. Feel free to DM me if that’d be helpful!

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drkr731 t1_j9a0zzc wrote

I would definitely explore the on campus options as much as you could. But if that doesn’t pan out, you should be alright in an apartment with roommates. You can likely find a room for around 1k within walking distance so you won’t have car expenses.

You won’t be flush with cash but I have a few friends who’ve been phd students in Boston/Cambridge and lived within a similar budget for years

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Opposite_Match5303 t1_j9a7joe wrote

Yeah every grad student makes it work (not one any more, but was not so long ago and live w grad students). Cambridge, you should expect to pay 1200-1500 even with roommates, but Allston and Somerville are about 30min walking from Harvard Yard (or 10min bike) and you can get under 1000.

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KaiserEnlighten t1_j9a9723 wrote

I found it doable, just don’t expect to be saving much! And I would recommend on campus housing. I wasn’t at Harvard so not sure exactly what’s available, but when I moved off campus I didn’t factor in all the things the dorms subsidize (e.g. free heat and good internet) and the dorms are responsive to building maintenance vs. a potentially crappy landlord

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realvladdiputtn t1_j9ab45l wrote

I’d check out apartments in Porter, Inman, and Central Squares. I have a couple friends doing PhDs at Harvard on similar stipends and were able to find cheaper places in those areas, especially with roommates. All are within a 20-30 minute walk to campus depending where you’re heading and Porter and Central also have the T as backup, though tend to be a little more expensive than Inman because of it.

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charlottespider t1_j9apytv wrote

I lived in Harvard housing, and unfortunately, there are no deals. You pay market rent and probably need roomates.

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studiohana t1_j9avveq wrote

37k before taxes is going to be tough , you’ll definitely have to be splitting with people. After taxes, you’ll probably have 30k so your budget should be ~830 if you’re going by the typical rule that your rent shouldn’t exceed a third of your income.

Most of the people I know are paying over $1000 even with 2 or 3 other roommates.

If you cross the river into Allston, you’ll have batter luck. And you’re super close to Cambridge still!

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pyroelectricity t1_j9c1x1d wrote

The clutch point not in this thread yet is that you should try to live somewhere near the Market Basket in Union Square Somerville. Groceries are crazy expensive in Mass, and in Cambridge your only other options are Whole Foods and Star Market (which somehow manages to be more expensive than whole foods at times). The exception is Market Basket, which is crazy cheap because they make their money on volume. This is enough to make a real difference in your budget. Can't recommend enough

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Reasonable_Move9518 t1_j9d21fq wrote

You’ll need roommates but it’ll be fine if you don’t have other financial commitments. Get some cool roommates and live in Somerville near Porter or Davis, or Central/Cambridgeport. Don’t bother with a car, and if near campus shop at Market Basket and cook a lot and it’ll be ok.

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weezerstan1 t1_j9g962q wrote

Not sure what you'd be doing your PhD in, but Harvard has a shuttle that runs into Allston and will drop you off pretty near to where a lot of offices/labs are (along oxford street). If you want to look across the river.

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ADarwinAward t1_j9qo7co wrote

I had 3+ roommates through my 2 year master’s program at MIT. It’s doable. I lived in Cambridge. This city has an abundance of well…to put it bluntly…shit-tier off campus student housing. 5 years ago I was paying $900/month for a 10x10 room which is large for student housing. 4 roommates, 1 bathroom, small kitchen, a tiny living room that barely fit a couch and a tiny tv. Plenty of code violations in the place. Rents have gone up quite a bit since then, expect to pay more.

You will need roommates.

Just don’t expect to be saving for retirement unless you’ve got mom and dad helping, which from your post it seems you don’t.

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