You can live in the Porter/Davis area with that budget easily. Since those train stations straddle the Cambridge/Somerville line, I doubt you’ll notice much difference between the two cities. My personal opinion is that it doesn’t matter which city you’re living in if you’re not owning and/or planning to put kids through schools. As others have mentioned you can definitely avoid paying a realtor fee and security deposit. My last apartment in Cambridge we didn’t pay either. It was a 1 bedroom that was $2,500/month 1 mile from Porter and 0.5 miles from Davis. Since then, I’ve bought in Cambridge, and enjoy living here. That being said, we bid on a lot of houses in Somerville we’d be equally happy in. I see no meaningful difference between the cities, but as others have mentioned, proximity to mass transit is key. Welcome!