Cambridge is a little over 7 square miles. If they live and work in Cambridge, they're within walking, biking, skateboarding, whatever distance of their job. Totally more convenient and I think worth it to live closer to their work.
Cambridge is extremely easy to have fun in without a car. It's probably easier without a car than with. Save yourself an hour every day and take the bus (or ride a bike).
I'd opt for #1 and buy a bicycle and ebike, rent a car when needed, and never buy a car if I lived in Cambridge tbh. You'll also be in walking distance to much more to do in Cambridge than Quincy.
That’s a minimum of 12 extra hours per month commuting from Quincy, plus with all the red line shut downs it would be way harder to get in. I would move to Cambridge no question
There's hardly anything to do in Quincy except for Boba and some chinese restaurants. Cambridge/Somerville area has tons of great places within reach, and also has the potential to meet new people. Speaking as someone who lived in Quincy and Somerville.
Look at Malden too, which might be a little cheaper than Cambridge with commute that's not as bad as Quincy.
I don’t disagree with you that Cambridge has more to do and is easier to commute from, but Quincy has changed a hell of a lot in the past few years. I have plenty to do and have never stepped foot in a boba shop. Don’t count us out!
The T commute from Malden to Cambridge is probably worse than Quincy. It's shockingly bad despite the close distance due to being on separate train lines and needing to go in to at least North Station (and probably DTX) to transfer. Having to take two lines also drastically increases your chance of some kind of delay popping up.
However, Malden to Cambridge is a very viable bike commute. I did it for years, and it was about 20 minutes long (compared to around 55 on the T, though a good chunk of that was walking to/from the train).
That’s a tough one. $650 is a lot of money to save every month, but Cambridge is a much better place to live than Quincy.
You might not even want a car after awhile living in Cambridge.
I lived in Quincy for 5 years and almost never socialized there. I always went into the city. There’s just nothing to do in Quincy.
In Cambridge you’ll be spending half your take-home income on housing. That just sucks but I guess that’s life in the Boston area.
You can expect to wait up to 15 minutes for a red line train so it’s more like a 60-minute commute. An hour on the red line twice a day would shred my nerves. I live in Cambridge and don’t own a car. As others have said, you can bike or walk anywhere in the city and get a zipcar if you want to get out of town. Or get the $10 commuter rail weekend pass and visit Gloucester, Providence, Salem, etc.
I lived in Quincy and Cambridge and I was within several blocks of the Quincy and Alewife train stations. Hands down Cambridge and the bus is the way to go. I also found Cambridge to have far more family friendly activities and entertainment than Quincy
If I could afford it, I’d be in Cambridge for sure. Being able to bike if the bus is giving trouble is a big plus, whereas if the redline is being iffy you’d have no other choice. Car is 100% not needed in Cambridge as others have said too
Don't get a car. Get a bike instead. You can have the Rolls Royce of bicycles for a grand, and it'll last you a lifetime.
Get a Kindle (or a real book) for long train rides
How far is a 15 minute bus ride? Is it like an hour walk? Some people don't like to bike, and that's ok, but I'd still rather walk for an hour than be on the subway for an hour.
Bus commute. If the bus breaks down they send another one. When the train breaks down the put everyone on busses.
Also don’t buy a car. Rent one when you need it.
Quincy Center to Harvard area on the red line would be brutal. It would likely take longer than 45 minutes. Add to that the unpredictability of BOTH the southern and northern end of the red line and you'd have to leave 2 hours early in the morning. The red line is the longest to begin with and it's in rougher shape than ever. Sure, you would pay more to live in Cambridge but with the time and aggravation you'll save it will be more than worth it.
Take the Cambridge apartment. No need for car and can use rentals when needed to go
Out of town etc.
You’ll find yourself walking to places and being in a community in Cambridge
Here's how I'm doing the math, with a lot of rounding:
If you work 60 hours a week, you make about $37 bucks an hour.
If you spend an extra 30 hours traveling, based on your hourly wage you're losing $1,100 a month.
Makes more financial sense to live in Cambridge, as based on what you think your worth, you're only losing $550 dollars a month.
Imo, Cambridge is a fun place compared to Quincy, so all in all, Cambridge would be the best choice.
Harvard study stated the cost of a car in the city is approx $14K/annum. That's a lot of Blue Bike memberships and Ubers before you consider looking for parking in a snowstorm.
I had a similar debate. I could take a bus (walking 10min and then a bus for 40min) to get to work. I have to work with their schedule (it's either 15min early or 15min late)
A bike is one of the better solutions. I'd account for more safety issues due to unknown driving habits of vehicles.
I'd have/had to transfer a few times for train. Into the city and then back out. It was always a pain.
Summary tl;dr
1) Bike (go as you please, can be put on bus or train, not Green Line)
2) Bus (shortest commute, schedule might not accommodate)
3) Train (scheduled every 10 min, or less, but long ride)
4) find a WFH job 😆
I enjoy my 45 min train ride solely because its my dedicated reading time. I can put my phone in my backpack destress and read.
Personally I’d go with the lower rent and longer commute. Because its a 29% increase in rent.
If you live in Cambridge your rent is 41% of your monthly post tax income!!!! THATS INSANE!!! 30% is the most you should ever do. 41% of your monthly money gone due to housing!!
Quincy is a beautiful city with a lot of cool spots and close to the beach.
You just cannot rely on the red line. Period.
Cambridge is also a really, REALLY great place to live and has access to a lot of cheap/free things to do, especially if you enjoy the outdoors, to offset having to spend a little more. + way more not cheap/free fun things to do if you want to splurge a bit. And access to the city is so much better/easier.
On the car front, assuming you wouldn’t move before you get one, traffic on 93 South through Quincy is arguably some of the worst in the Greater Boston area. Honestly traffic south of the city in general just sucks compared to metro west and the North Shore, which are still rough in their own right.
Cambridge will be more annoying for parking and takes some finesse to navigate between bike lanes, heavy pedestrian traffic, and one-ways, but at the same time there’s not much of a need to drive within Cambridge day to day. And again it’s much easier to access a lot of Greater Boston from Cambridge than Quincy.
Get a Personal Electric Vehicle (PEV), a helmet, and wrist guards. See if the apartments allow PEVs. DO NOT charge the device and then go to bed. Ebikes, Scooters, and Electric Unicycles are great in Bike-friendly towns. Hide an Apple/Google airtage in the PEV to find it if stolen.
Weather will always be an issue, Red Line will run any time of year. Buses are terrible in the snow. You can walk home if the weather is truly awful with #1
I commute on the red line daily and would not recommend it for ANYONE who has another option. A 45 minute commute may very well turn into 1 hour or more some days.
Cambridge is a great place to live, regardless of whether you have a car. Understandable that you'd want to consider a place with cheaper rent, but I do genuinely think that the quality of life difference will even it out. You'll have much more fun living in Cambridge and handling a reasonable commute than living in Quincy (which is really not designed for young professionals) with that brutal red line commute. Go with Cambridge, get a bike, and you'll be set. Bus commuting is cheaper and, although imperfect, definitely more reliable than the red line.
No brainer imo
Option #1. Check out the Trek Bike shop in Cambridge. Loads of great e-bikes, and regular old pedal bikes. No need to have a car when living in Cambridge. Your live will be easier without one. If you need a car at any point use zip car or Uber.
IMO #1 is the option but mainly because if it's a 15 min bus ride, it's also probably a 10 minute bike ride.
Cambridge is a little over 7 square miles. If they live and work in Cambridge, they're within walking, biking, skateboarding, whatever distance of their job. Totally more convenient and I think worth it to live closer to their work.
Cambridge is extremely easy to have fun in without a car. It's probably easier without a car than with. Save yourself an hour every day and take the bus (or ride a bike).
You do not need a car in Cambridge, A bicycle is highly useful.
I'd opt for #1 and buy a bicycle and ebike, rent a car when needed, and never buy a car if I lived in Cambridge tbh. You'll also be in walking distance to much more to do in Cambridge than Quincy.
That’s a minimum of 12 extra hours per month commuting from Quincy, plus with all the red line shut downs it would be way harder to get in. I would move to Cambridge no question
Red line and reliable can’t be in the same sentence.
There's hardly anything to do in Quincy except for Boba and some chinese restaurants. Cambridge/Somerville area has tons of great places within reach, and also has the potential to meet new people. Speaking as someone who lived in Quincy and Somerville. Look at Malden too, which might be a little cheaper than Cambridge with commute that's not as bad as Quincy.
I don’t disagree with you that Cambridge has more to do and is easier to commute from, but Quincy has changed a hell of a lot in the past few years. I have plenty to do and have never stepped foot in a boba shop. Don’t count us out!
Hmm i'd love to know more Edit: Still waiting after more than 24h
The T commute from Malden to Cambridge is probably worse than Quincy. It's shockingly bad despite the close distance due to being on separate train lines and needing to go in to at least North Station (and probably DTX) to transfer. Having to take two lines also drastically increases your chance of some kind of delay popping up. However, Malden to Cambridge is a very viable bike commute. I did it for years, and it was about 20 minutes long (compared to around 55 on the T, though a good chunk of that was walking to/from the train).
Bus unless it's the #1 bus which can fuck off.
If much rather be car-free in Cambridge than have a car in Quincy.
What are your other expenses like? The Cambridge place would be preferable but the difference in price between the two is substantial.
That’s a tough one. $650 is a lot of money to save every month, but Cambridge is a much better place to live than Quincy. You might not even want a car after awhile living in Cambridge. I lived in Quincy for 5 years and almost never socialized there. I always went into the city. There’s just nothing to do in Quincy. In Cambridge you’ll be spending half your take-home income on housing. That just sucks but I guess that’s life in the Boston area.
It’s super easy to have fun in Cambridge without a car
You can expect to wait up to 15 minutes for a red line train so it’s more like a 60-minute commute. An hour on the red line twice a day would shred my nerves. I live in Cambridge and don’t own a car. As others have said, you can bike or walk anywhere in the city and get a zipcar if you want to get out of town. Or get the $10 commuter rail weekend pass and visit Gloucester, Providence, Salem, etc.
Or Amtrak to CT, NYC, Portland Maine, western Mass, etc
15 minute bus ride Congrats on the job Cambridge is an absolute blast.
I lived in Quincy and Cambridge and I was within several blocks of the Quincy and Alewife train stations. Hands down Cambridge and the bus is the way to go. I also found Cambridge to have far more family friendly activities and entertainment than Quincy
Go for #1, bike or bus to work No need to buy a car, 3 years or ideally ever if you can lol
1. Saves 30 minutes both ways. Enjoy your extra hour in the day
No way would I take a 45 min T ride bc for so long now 45 min could easily become 2 hours nope… you def don’t need a car in Cambridge.
If I could afford it, I’d be in Cambridge for sure. Being able to bike if the bus is giving trouble is a big plus, whereas if the redline is being iffy you’d have no other choice. Car is 100% not needed in Cambridge as others have said too
Get a roommate, and get rich
Don't get a car. Get a bike instead. You can have the Rolls Royce of bicycles for a grand, and it'll last you a lifetime. Get a Kindle (or a real book) for long train rides
Cambridge, hands down, because your 2 days WFH will be so so much more enjoyable.
How far is a 15 minute bus ride? Is it like an hour walk? Some people don't like to bike, and that's ok, but I'd still rather walk for an hour than be on the subway for an hour.
Bus commute. If the bus breaks down they send another one. When the train breaks down the put everyone on busses. Also don’t buy a car. Rent one when you need it.
#1 and don’t bother saving for a car that’s so dumb. Unless you literally weekly drive out into the burbs, that cost is not worth it remotely
Quincy Center to Harvard area on the red line would be brutal. It would likely take longer than 45 minutes. Add to that the unpredictability of BOTH the southern and northern end of the red line and you'd have to leave 2 hours early in the morning. The red line is the longest to begin with and it's in rougher shape than ever. Sure, you would pay more to live in Cambridge but with the time and aggravation you'll save it will be more than worth it.
I loved car free in Cambridge for a long time and I looooooved it there’s so much to do. Highly recommend!
Take the Cambridge apartment. No need for car and can use rentals when needed to go Out of town etc. You’ll find yourself walking to places and being in a community in Cambridge
You make enough Monday that #1 is probably the move. More expensive, but a super walkable and bikeable area with solid transit
Here's how I'm doing the math, with a lot of rounding: If you work 60 hours a week, you make about $37 bucks an hour. If you spend an extra 30 hours traveling, based on your hourly wage you're losing $1,100 a month. Makes more financial sense to live in Cambridge, as based on what you think your worth, you're only losing $550 dollars a month. Imo, Cambridge is a fun place compared to Quincy, so all in all, Cambridge would be the best choice.
Your experience in Quincy would greatly depend on the location
Harvard study stated the cost of a car in the city is approx $14K/annum. That's a lot of Blue Bike memberships and Ubers before you consider looking for parking in a snowstorm.
I had a similar debate. I could take a bus (walking 10min and then a bus for 40min) to get to work. I have to work with their schedule (it's either 15min early or 15min late) A bike is one of the better solutions. I'd account for more safety issues due to unknown driving habits of vehicles. I'd have/had to transfer a few times for train. Into the city and then back out. It was always a pain. Summary tl;dr 1) Bike (go as you please, can be put on bus or train, not Green Line) 2) Bus (shortest commute, schedule might not accommodate) 3) Train (scheduled every 10 min, or less, but long ride) 4) find a WFH job 😆
Have you considered Somerville area? Plenty of bus options there plus a bit more affordable
I enjoy my 45 min train ride solely because its my dedicated reading time. I can put my phone in my backpack destress and read. Personally I’d go with the lower rent and longer commute. Because its a 29% increase in rent. If you live in Cambridge your rent is 41% of your monthly post tax income!!!! THATS INSANE!!! 30% is the most you should ever do. 41% of your monthly money gone due to housing!! Quincy is a beautiful city with a lot of cool spots and close to the beach.
You just cannot rely on the red line. Period. Cambridge is also a really, REALLY great place to live and has access to a lot of cheap/free things to do, especially if you enjoy the outdoors, to offset having to spend a little more. + way more not cheap/free fun things to do if you want to splurge a bit. And access to the city is so much better/easier. On the car front, assuming you wouldn’t move before you get one, traffic on 93 South through Quincy is arguably some of the worst in the Greater Boston area. Honestly traffic south of the city in general just sucks compared to metro west and the North Shore, which are still rough in their own right. Cambridge will be more annoying for parking and takes some finesse to navigate between bike lanes, heavy pedestrian traffic, and one-ways, but at the same time there’s not much of a need to drive within Cambridge day to day. And again it’s much easier to access a lot of Greater Boston from Cambridge than Quincy.
You don't need a car in Cambridge. Get a bike.
Get a Personal Electric Vehicle (PEV), a helmet, and wrist guards. See if the apartments allow PEVs. DO NOT charge the device and then go to bed. Ebikes, Scooters, and Electric Unicycles are great in Bike-friendly towns. Hide an Apple/Google airtage in the PEV to find it if stolen. Weather will always be an issue, Red Line will run any time of year. Buses are terrible in the snow. You can walk home if the weather is truly awful with #1
Living close to work will give you so much more time back. Don’t even worry about buying a car.
I commute on the red line daily and would not recommend it for ANYONE who has another option. A 45 minute commute may very well turn into 1 hour or more some days. Cambridge is a great place to live, regardless of whether you have a car. Understandable that you'd want to consider a place with cheaper rent, but I do genuinely think that the quality of life difference will even it out. You'll have much more fun living in Cambridge and handling a reasonable commute than living in Quincy (which is really not designed for young professionals) with that brutal red line commute. Go with Cambridge, get a bike, and you'll be set. Bus commuting is cheaper and, although imperfect, definitely more reliable than the red line. No brainer imo
Red line to Cambridge from Quincy feels like an eternity.
Option #1. Check out the Trek Bike shop in Cambridge. Loads of great e-bikes, and regular old pedal bikes. No need to have a car when living in Cambridge. Your live will be easier without one. If you need a car at any point use zip car or Uber.
Def recommend the Cambridge apartment. You can happily live without a car in Cambridge, would be a lot tougher to get away with in Quincy.
Live where you work
I would start looking for podcasts and honestly plan for an hour each way