Urban, affordable, former industrial cities that have mixed-to-negative reputations:
- Lynn, 22 minutes to North Station via Commuter Rail (from Lynn Station). It’s cheap because it’s seen as sketchy, but it’s also very close/convenient to Boston for its price. Like most places, Lynn has better parts and worse parts, but it certainly isn’t as dangerous as it once was, and if you are looking for somewhere affordable near Boston, that might be worth the look.
- Lowell, 46 minutes to NS via CR (from Lowell Station). Lowell is a city of 110,000 people (the fourth most populous in Massachusetts). Lowell is larger, safer, and more of a dynamic city than Lynn, Haverhill, or Lawrence. It has a fairly large urban center, built around an old mill city, but there are some more suburban neighborhoods as well.
- Lawrence, 47 minutes to North Station via Commuter Rail (from Lawrence Station). Lawrence is a majority hispanic community (Dominican and Puerto Rican, mostly). Like Lynn and Haverhill, there are better and worse parts of town, and you may want to research specifics to find the right fit.
- Haverhill, 56 minutes to North Station via Commuter Rail. Haverhill has an urban center, surrounded by more suburban neighborhoods. It has two CR stations (Haverhill and Bradford). Haverhill’s reputation may be overstated, and like Lynn and Lawrence, may be worth looking into some of the safer parts of town.
More typical suburbia, but affordable:
- Acton, 26 minutes to Porter via Commuter Rail (from South Acton Station).
- Wilmington, 30 minutes to North Station via Commuter Rail (from Wilmington Station).
- Billerica, 39 minutes to North Station via Commuter Rail (from North Billerica Station).
- Maynard, a 5-10 minute drive to South Acton Station (which is a 26 minute ride to Porter via CR), or a doable drive to Alewife (Red Line), if you leave home by 7:00 am or after 8:30 am.
- Chelmsford, 15 minute drive to Littleton/495 Station (which is a 33 minute ride to Porter via CR), or a doable drive to Alewife (Red Line), if you leave home by 6:30 am or after 9:00 am.
Affordable rural suburbs, with good access to Boston/Cambridge:
- Ayer, 41 minutes to Porter via Commuter Rail (from Ayer Station).
- Shirley, 46 minutes to Porter via Commuter Rail (from Shirley Station).
- Stow, a 5-10 minute drive to South Acton Station (which is a 26 minute ride to Porter via CR), or a doable drive to Alewife (Red Line), if you leave home by 7:00 am or after 8:30 am.
- Boxborough, a 10 minute drive to South Acton Station (which is a 26 minute ride to Porter via CR), or a doable drive to Alewife (Red Line), if you leave home by 6:00 am or after 9:00 am.
- Bolton, 10-15 minute drive to Littleton/495 Station (which is a 33 minute ride to Porter via CR).