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Everything else equal, I think we can all agree that living in a cheaper place is better than living in a more expensive place.
I'd much rather pay $500/mo in rent than $1,000. And I'd rather pay $2 for coffee than $5.
And while every neighbhorhood in Boston might be more expensive than living in rural Massachusetts, there are certain neighborhoods that are definitely cheaper.
So what exactly are those Boston neighborhoods where your dollar goes a little further -- you can get that one bedroom instead of the studio?
Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Boston are the cheapest.
The Cheapest Neighborhoods In Boston For 2022
What's the cheapest neighborhood to live in Boston for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Roslindale looks to be the cheaptest Boston neighborhood to live in.
At this point we should make it clear that you do get what you pay for -- some of these neighborhoods might not be the best places to live in Boston. You could be sacrificing location or crime rates in return for more space and cheaper groceries.
Read on to see how we determined the places around Boston that deserve a little bragging rights or maybe you're interested in the worst neighborhoods in Boston.
Once you're done, you can look at the bottom of the story for a complete chart of every neighborhood we looked at from cheapest to most expensive.
For more Massachusetts reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Massachusetts
- Cheapest Places To Live In Massachusetts
- Cheapest Cities To Live In America
- Cheapest States To Live In America
The 5 Cheapest Neighborhoods To Live In Boston For 2022
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Population: 36,129
Cost Of Living Index: 129 (5th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 3.6 (cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.013 (2nd cheapest)
More on Roslindale: Homes For Sale | Data
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Population: 32,855
Cost Of Living Index: 137 (10th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 4.4 (3rd cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.01 (cheapest)
More on West Roxbury: Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 35,116
Cost Of Living Index: 132 (6th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 5.0 (8th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.013 (3rd cheapest)
More on Hyde Park: Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 38,206
Cost Of Living Index: 141 (12th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 4.2 (2nd cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.017 (5th cheapest)
More on South Boston: Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 43,436
Cost Of Living Index: 128 (4th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 4.9 (6th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.019 (10th cheapest)
More on East Boston: Homes For Sale | Data
Methodology: How We Determined The Cheapest Boston Hoods In 2022
In order to rank the cheapest places to live in Boston, we had to determine what criteria defines "cheap".
Using census and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:
- Overall Cost Of Living
- Rent To Income Ratio
- Median Home Value To Income Ratio
We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 16 in each category, where 1 was the cheapest.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a cheap neighborhood index.
And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest cheapest neighborhood index the "Cheapest City Neighborhood In Boston." We're lookin' at you, Roslindale.
Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the cheapest places Boston. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city from cheapest to most expensive.
Summary: Lowest Cost Places To Live In Boston
If you're measuring the neighborhoods in Boston where prices are low and it's cheap to live, this is an accurate list.
As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Boston aren't all cheap. Back Bay-Beacon Hill takes the title of the most expensive neighborhood to live in Boston.
We ranked the neighborhoods from cheapest to most expensive in the chart below.
For more Massachusetts reading, check out:
- Most Dangerous Cities In Massachusetts
- Richest Cities In Massachusetts
- Safest Places In Massachusetts
- Worst Places To Live In Massachusetts
Detailed List Of The Cheapest Neighborhoods To Live In Boston For 2022
| Rank | Neighborhood | Cost Of Living Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roslindale | 129 |
| 2 | West Roxbury | 137 |
| 3 | Hyde Park | 132 |
| 4 | South Boston | 141 |
| 5 | East Boston | 128 |
| 6 | Charlestown | 147 |
| 7 | Jamaica Plain | 139 |
| 8 | Mattapan | 120 |
| 9 | Fenway-Kenmore | 127 |
| 10 | South Dorchester | 135 |
| 11 | Roxbury | 125 |
| 12 | Allston-Brighton | 135 |
| 13 | North Dorchester | 136 |
| 14 | Central | 167 |
| 15 | South End | 163 |
| 16 | Back Bay-Beacon Hill | 191 |
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