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In Boston/Cambridge/Somerville it is depressingly common. I wish it were within my means to live alone, but even on six figures it doesn't make sense (I refuse

In Boston/Cambridge/Somerville it is depressingly common. I wish it were within my means to live alone, but even on six figures it doesn't make sense (I refuse to spend 40-50% of my net income on housing). Having roommates (who aren't romantic partners or family) is the worst. I need sanctuary away from people, and for example, it's frustrating when you want to cook and your cooking equipment is left dirty, when the kitchen is already in use, or when roommates have parties while you're trying to sleep. It's not an issue of having bad roommates, but of having people going about their lives independently in far too close proximity. I used to sleep without earplugs, but since moving to Boston I need to use them every night or I wouldn't ever get a full night of sleep. Having roommates in one's thirties extends childhood much too far. For me, density is the enemy, and being near nature is the goal. Unfortunately, jobs are in the city and not in the woods.

eropple 10y ago
The solution should be obvious: get out of Cambridge/Somerville! I recently moved to Malden and was able to comfortably afford a two-bedroom condo on a senior-level tech salary (I pay under 25% of my take-home in housing). It's super quiet and just on the edge of suburbia, but with a supermarket, the gym, the T, and about a dozen restaurants within easy walking distance. I'm a little over ten minutes from an Orange Line T stop (Malden Center) that gets downtown in 28 minutes and the same T stop has a thirty-minute bus to Central. I live super near three different parks, and the one I go to most often is lightly used enough that I can often sit somewhere, surrounded by trees, and not see another person for an hour or so. I could Uber to Cambridge, round-trip, twice weekly to go out with friends and still be racking up significantly less expenses than I did when I lived in Davis.

eropple 10y ago

The solution should be obvious: get out of Cambridge/Somerville! I recently moved to Malden and was able to comfortably afford a two-bedroom condo on a senior-level tech salary (I pay under 25% of my take-home in housing). It's super quiet and just on the edge of suburbia, but with a supermarket, the gym, the T, and about a dozen restaurants within easy walking distance. I'm a little over ten minutes from an Orange Line T stop (Malden Center) that gets downtown in 28 minutes and the same T stop has a thirty-minute bus to Central. I live super near three different parks, and the one I go to most often is lightly used enough that I can often sit somewhere, surrounded by trees, and not see another person for an hour or so. I could Uber to Cambridge, round-trip, twice weekly to go out with friends and still be racking up significantly less expenses than I did when I lived in Davis.