The questions, “where to live?” and “how to pay rent?” are often wondered aloud after leaving the freshman dorm, or coming here as a transfer student. You may want to go to a place like Harbor Point, or the Peninsula apartments, since it’s so close to UMass Boston, and it’s easy access to the university. However, the problem I see in both of these options is that they’re too expensive, and there’s too many leasing paperwork you have to fill out. The thing is, if you’re on a tight budget and you can’t afford to pay your tuition, then going to Harbor Point or Peninsula is going to be a financial nightmare for anyone. Not to mention, that if you need to cancel your lease if you’re transferring to a better university, or you found another cheaper and better apartment, then canceling your lease would be difficult. 

My solution to this problem is that you should look to Quincy to rent, since it’s not only cheap, but it’s still a convenient distance from UMass Boston. In terms of convenience, Quincy is near a lot of commuter rail stops since it’s a big city center with a sizable amount of business there. The farthest place in Quincy is four stops from JFK/UMASS and the closest is one stop away. It’s also important to note that the red line is fast and there’s a lot of trains that frequently run on this branch of the commuter rail. When I used to take the Green Line from Newton Center to Park Street, each stop took three minutes to reach and this would take around forty to forty-five minutes depending on the day. However, the Red Line takes as much as twenty minutes and as few as ten minutes. 

Although convenience is great, the main focus of this article is about prices and leasing. I myself looked at an article about budget friendly places to live, and I found that Quincy was number two on the top five list of budget friendly cities. Although I couldn’t find the rent, I found that the median house price is $342,600, which is below Boston’s $379,500. For anyone who’s a full-time worker and wants to go to UMass Boston and enjoys developing relationships with people here, this is a great place to be at. The median household income of most families that live here is $62,710. In a sense, it’s easier to pay tuition and balance the work-life-study program. Since you don’t have to focus on paying rent or a mortgage so much that you have to work over 40 hours, you can find some time to relax and catch up with people.

It’s not just the cost that I find beneficial, I find that Quincy has a lot of Chinese people who are very friendly and have very easy-to-follow rules. I found a home to rent near the Wollaston station, and I realized how easy it is. The people there told me that you have to pay month by month and you don’t need any references or leasing agreements. The best part is that they don’t do any background checks or tenant look up. If you know them or prove to them that you’re a trustworthy tenant, they’ll take you in. The people there also say to close the door gently whenever you come in and only use the microwave to cook food. Although I love to be health conscious and love to cook, I realize that sometimes you have to adjust to pre-cook meals in order to make ends meet. The point is that living in Quincy can be fun, convenient, and cheap.

1. https://listwithclever.com/real-estate-blog/the-5-most-affordable-places-to-live-in-massachusetts/