The four main lines - blue, green, red, and orange - all have intersections in “downtown” Boston. Obviously waiting for a connection adds some time to any commute. The green lines (which go above ground) are notorious for having delays (especially in bad weather). Mission Hill is a cheaper area - lots of college kids live there because of this.
“If his time frame for moving happens to fall around May/June, its pretty easy to get a sublet from college students for the summer months. That would allow him some time to scope out areas where he might want to live longer term.”
My S had to sublet for the summer as most leases in Boston run Sept-Sept because of all the students. This required 1st and last months rent up front - which we had to pay as he didn’t have a paycheck yet - then 1st month/last month/security dep on new apt - which we had to pay because he had only been working a few weeks when he signed lease for that apartment. His company did pick up $1000 of his finders fee so we only had to pay $500 (his roommate paid the other half.) Then to get his car registered in MA it cost us another $2000 to replace catalytic converter so it could pass inspection. Those first few week cost us a lot of $$$. We were going to ask him to repay some of it but in the end just didn’t bother as we didn’t want him to be in a hole from the get go. He did get a small relocation package which included a cash component but he needed that for essentials.
I knew we were going to have to help out in the beginning but I didn’t realize how much it was going to cost. The good thing was that it was way cheaper then tuition and he earns enough were he is self sufficient, though we still pay his car ins. and cell plan - but that’s because we want to, not because we need to. I’d rather he put money in his 401k and build up his emergency fund.
@Mcat: If you are on the Red Line in Cambridge and want to switch to the Green Line, it’s one of the easier transitions. Take the Red Line to Park Street, which is one of the stops where Red/Green intersect, and then get on whatever Green Line train you want. (There’s B,C,D,E.) Here’s a map of the subway system: http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/
My older daughter lived in an apartment in Medford her senior year at Tufts–she shared two stories of a three story building with 2 roommates. They each paid $1500 plus utilities. They were less than a mile from the Davis Square
T stop (red line).
As other posters mentioned, there are always lots of summer sublets in various parts of the city and surrounding area.
I live in suburban Boston area. My D lives in Davis Square Somerville, owns a car, parks on the street. Lives with 3 other roommates for about $3K (~750 ea) for a 4 bedroom, but that’s an exceptional deal. It’s a terrific area for a young person. Before that she lived in Brighton for about the same price but had a nicer place.
Prices vary dramatically depending on many factors. There is a place for any price range.
DW drives into Boston every day and pays about $200/mo to park through a special deal her company has with a garage in Back Bay. Before they moved to this new building she was renting the back half of a tandem space for $225/mo in one of Back Bay’s allys that she and a friend (who had the front space and lived nearby) found through a realtor. They kept each others keys in case the car needed to be moved.
A lot of people are afraid to drive around here, and indeed, driving in Boston is a full contact sport. It’s best to have a sense of humor, life insurance, and an older car with a working horn that can stand a little bumper rash because people routinely park by braille. One must also learn to assert their right of way or risk getting run off the road. We all learn how to do it and once you understand the principles, it’s not so bad.
One must also learn to assert their right of way = No eye contact and just going for it! 
Although I joked about Boston driving, I really am serious about right of way.
What it really comes down to is that Boston drivers are not only pretty aggressive but often don’t actually know the rules of the road, because the driving instructors don’t really emphasize it (not clear if they know). So what happens is someone aggressive takes your right of way, or someone timid yields their right of way, and then NOBODY knows who is going and who is yielding. Both create an extremely dangerous situation. My first time in Boston, I was literally run off the road being stuck behind a double parked car while people behind me flew around me not letting me in.
The rights of way protocols are for safety. I’ve taught my kids that aggressively asserting your right of way IS actually the safest course of action, but to be careful to MAKE eye contact and use the horn to let them know you are asserting your right of way if there is any sense that they aren’t yielding. People tend to remember who is supposed to go when you aren’t slowing down. Mastering the chicken game if you will does take some practice.
@kiddie and @Bromfield2,
Thanks. I just wonder whether this is convenient for a person like this to commute: This person lives on the Red Line near MGH (I think MGH is next to the Red Line, right?), but has to go to the Longwood area (on the Green Line, I think) from time to time starting this summer. He may consider to move if it is not convenient to go back and forth between these two locations. (Basically, back and forth between these two hospitals: MGH and Brigham & Women by rails.)
(I know very little about Boston. So what I said may not make much sense.)
@mcat2 people do that commute from the MGH area to Longwood area every day.
@mcat2 There is a free shuttle between MGH and Brigham and Women’s (Longwood area).
@thumper1 and @Bromfield2,
Thanks.
I do not know if this is true: I heard if it is during odd hours, there is no shuttle.
This link seems to contain a good amount of information about the “T”, for somebody new to Boston.
http://www.boston-discovery-guide.com/boston-subway.html
Why is the Green Line the slowest?
It’s a trolley (or trawley cah as the locals say) that runs on a subway line downtown and then goes above ground as a light rail with it’s own track on 4 different branches. The cars for each branch tend to stack up downtown near Government Center and Park St, and they take a while to load and unload because there are steps to go up and down. Also, the downtown subway lines which are the oldest have some nasty turns that the trolleys go very slowly around.
The other lines are traditional subway cars. Doors open, you walk in and out off of a platform. There are no platforms on the Green line, you enter and exit the cars via the steps like a bus.
The Green line gives rise to the expression “Should we walk or do we have time to take the T”.
@ClassicRockerDad. Pittsburgh born/raised DD moved to Somerville last year. Talking to her on the phone while driving to clients is like listening to a symphony of horns. When I asked her about it, she said “Oh, when the light turns green, everyone automatically, almost compulsively, begins blowing.” Small sample size of horns, but I’d say fairly emphatic.
Coming from the the “Pittsburgh Left”/flash the headlights courtesy (may be waning slightly with the “Parking Chair” still going strong), learning Boston driving was one of her biggest transitions.
google the term honkosecond!
@mcat2 The green line runs on the same roads as the cars. It must stop at red lights and there seem to be more stops per mile of line than the regular trains that run underground.
Mcat2 look at the T map provided online. There is PLENTY of transportation between these two locations. If it’s the middle of the night, there is always uber. And the buses run later than the T.
Boston is a major metro area with excellent public transportation. Please stop questioning the ability to get from place to place…in a city that you have never been to.
The Green Line has a ton of stops…a ton. But honestly Somdoes the red line. In four years of visiting DS in Boston, I never had an issue with the green line getting me where I wanted to be. NEVER.
ETA…Boston has excellent public transportation via the T and an extensive bus system. There are commuter trains as well, plenty of taxis and Ubers. Not at all like the Silicon Valley, where getting from one place to another can be challenging (I had a kid in college there too…so I know…and my DH lived there for a while years ago).
Getting back to the OP…
Things to keep in mind…if your son is planning to I’ve to an area where there are mostly students…this could be more challenging. Many of those places are leased by March for the following Sept 1.
If he has the resources to pay $2000 a month in rent…he probably canning a place in a building that is NOT with college students. But it probably won’t be huge!
Most of the 20 somethings we know who moved to Boston first lived with roommates in a shared house, duplex or apartment. This was more economical, and gave them the chance to really get a handle on where they wanted to actually lease themselves.
D got her place for 9/1 in July. Current tenants are only required to give 30 days notice, though landlords often ask for more, and often get it.
had a studio apt in Natick for $700 pr month (for 4 months in 2010). it would have been an easy commute to Boston but I worked in Natick
There is a book, out of date now, entitled “Wild in the Streets: A Guide to Boston Driving”.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Boston-Drivers-Handbook-Streets-The/dp/0306813262