British couple moving to Boston! Living costs in Boston!

2POSTS

13 years ago

Hi - Our names are Jenk and Lisa, and as the subject bar says, we're a British couple who are moving to Boston very soon! Lisa has a job offer and we're trying to figure out the cost of living over there.

Can someone give us some guidance or rough estimations for the basic living costs of 2 people? I'll write out some categories to make it easier to reply :-)

Rent
Utilities
Council tax
Broadband/TV
Phones
Food
Car instalments (if we buy new)
Car insurance
Petrol

I know this is all very much based on where and how we choose to live, so could someone give us examples of their living situation out there and what their monthly outgoings are like?

Also, I tried to work out an average food bill by finding a supermarket online and trying to make a pretend online order....but where are they all!? Can someone tell me some names of standard supermarkets to buy your weekly food? The ones I have found seem to have terrible websites or are designed for bulk-buying food! PLEASE HELP!

Any help will be much appreciated. Hope to hear from you soon!

Jenk & Lisa

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Jenk&Lisa Member

2POSTS

13 years ago

Hi Harmonie,

Thank you! And thanks for the PDF link! I'll have a good read before we leave.

Yes, hopefully we'll hear from people soon. Trying to figure out all the costs without actually being there is very difficult.

Thanks again

Jenk

Mummifiedsu Member

1POSTS

13 years ago

Hi ya,

We lived in Boston for just over a year but have been in Michigan for 3 months now.聽 We found Boston very expensive compared to the uk but thought it might just be a city thing.聽 But here in Michigan it is so cheap !!! We can afford cauliflower here !!!!! And houses are a third of the price but although the city we are in is lovely there is very little else in Michigan to do.聽 I think in Boston you are buying into the whole New England coast thing with a good variety of sports, interests etc for all.

Incidentally we have just found out today we are heading back to Boston next month just so our sons can start school and be settled as there are lots of jobs聽 for my husband there but only one company out here.

Supermarkets very rarely do online out here, its either very high end or you get the rotten stuff and considering they don't have sell by dates here that are honored you really are talking rotten food !!!!

High end to low end is

Whole foods
Stop and shop
Shaws
Market basket

Costco and bj's are your wholefod you mentioned but its not like in bulk for shops like at home. We have found you have to shop there for Basic's like loo rolls and washing liquid etc.

Also if you are on Facebook look up a group called Boston Brits as there are lots of lovely people on there who could give you more advice on areas to live etc.

Good luck

Su

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Updated in 2025, comprehensive and free

Read it now

wjsd_kyiv Active member

42POSTS

13 years ago

Jenk&Lisa wrote:
Rent

Depends on your desired location.
You "could" pick a Town with a local train station that goes in to Boston {such as Franklin, Mass.}

Too find other Towns with some Mass Transit visit this site:

Once you have an idea of whether your wife wants to drive or use public transport {Finding a Car-pooling situation is also a good option as commuters get a high-speed car lane for more than 2 people in a vehicle}

You can start researching apartments here{I am assuming you guys would not House hunt until arriving}:

For example:

I once lived in Franklin, Mass. {Zip Code:02038}
Franklin has a Train stop @ 75 Depot St Franklin, MA 02038-1939
Getting to the Station w/ no car might be problematic.

As you can see at Apartment.com, apartments range from $800+ depending on # of rooms.

Utilities
Electricity: $100/month or less {depends on whether you have gas or electric heat &/or Air-conditioning
Oil Heat is common as Massachusetts has long Winters. Paid for during winter months. +/- 100-200/month

Council tax: Whats that? No such thing by that name in America.

Broadband/TV: Comcast has all inclusive packages of phone/ISP/TV
For example: My folks {from UK btw} pay $200+/month for that...they pay more than they need to due to old age..you could find cheaper - I would recommend cel phones w/ shared minutes, ISP will be limited to a couple of options {these depend on your location}

Food:

Shaw's are commonly found and decent: Meat is cheaper than UK.
Examples:
Filet Mignon: =/- $20/pound
Pasta: +/- $1/pound
Deli Meats: +/- $8/pound

Car instalments (if we buy new)
New Car:
5 year contract w/ 20% down payment: +/- $350+ based on vehicle purchase price

Car insurance
Not sure, I never elected to have insurance.

Petrol:
Easily found via Google, maybe $4.00 a gallon.{search BP gas stations Massachusetts}
Vehicles can get +/- 20-40 Miles per Gallon. Depends on Type of car/truck/SUV, etc.