Northeastern sprawl (amongst other colleges) has/is changed/changing that. A quick search on apartments.com for 2 bedrooms in Roxbury reveals 37 results for 2200 or less, 92 for 2400 or less, and 246 for 2800 or less. And some of these are misrepresented because they are actually apartment buildings with a “range” of pricing (but never actually have availability in the low end of the range).

I have always lived in places that would immediately fill upon my departure and successfully countered twice. An apartment going unrented is not the risk - and with the exception of a small window during COVID has really never been an issue in this area. The risk is getting a tenant who ruins your unit and/or doesn’t pay. Even if countering is unsuccessful, there is still no reason not to try.

I’m surprised by the folks in the comments saying this is not normal - over the summer/leading up to Sept 1, these subs were filled with people (myself included) seeing rent increases of 20% or more (which was higher than 175). Should it be normal? No. Is it “normal” this year? Yes. And given the increased demands for rentals while the housing market remains a dumpster fire, we are likely to continue to see these moves by landlords.

Without knowing anything about your apartment beyond location and number of bedrooms, 2400 is a fairly competitive going rate in this current environment and it sounds like your landlord is trying to edge closer to mid-market rate.

You can always counter, however, and should. There is enormous risk to landlords when changing tenants and it is much better for them to maintain good tenants than take a risk with new tenants. Your landlord may just be testing the water to see what they can get.

If you do not know people/have friends in Boston, I would suggest finding a roommate who has also demonstrated an interest in building community in the city.

If you don’t mind the idea of having a roommate, I would suggest finding one and saving the money you save by not living alone (and/or allocating more to travel/hobbies)

If living alone is a high priority for you, however, yes - you can do it on that salary.

Your 30s are for hating having roommates. Your early/mid 20s are for tolerating them (and sometimes having a great time along the way), and your late 20s are for figuring out whether you will still be someone in your 30s with roommates (and in this city, that was a lot of us).