immigrant family in Cambridge

Submitted by edumeneses t3_1010vbp in CambridgeMA

Hello everyone,

I have a possible job opportunity, and if that turns out positively, I'll have to move with my family from Montreal to Cambridge (or somewhere in the Boston area).

We're from Brazil (me, my partner, and two kids), and I'd like to know what to expect as a Latin-American family in Boston metropolitan area. How's the diversity in the area? I guess MIT and Harvard help by having a lot of international students, but I'm not sure how that would work for the kids...

Also, what would be a good income for a family of 4?

Thanks in advance!

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CaterpillarMotor1593 t1_j2l0bzr wrote

There’s a big Brazilian community in Cambridge/Somerville. There’s a bunch of restaurants and a grocery store. There’s also schools that teach kids in two languages, including Portuguese.

Not sure about income for a family of 4 as I’m single with no kids, but rent is pretty outrageous in Cambridge. I pay $2300 for a 2bd, which is almost unheard of, my landlord is just very nice and doesn’t raise the rent when he likes the tenants.

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bristollersw t1_j2l49f8 wrote

> There’s a big Brazilian community in Cambridge/Somerville.

South Medford too.

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edumeneses OP t1_j2uea0j wrote

Thanks for the answer. Yeah, it looks like rent will be somethingv problematic. Montreal is way cheaper in comparison

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MyStackRunnethOver t1_j2m323t wrote

The area is generally very diverse up and down the income ladder. Your kids will not stand out for being immigrants, and neither will you. Cambridge proper is quite expensive. You’re looking at $2.5k+ for a 2 bedroom. Rule of thumb is housing should be <30% of pre-tax income to not be financially constrained. Prices are somewhat lower as you move away from Boston, but stay surprisingly high on the commuting corridors. I.e. if you’re close to a highway or commuter rail line, it’s like you’re close to Boston.

As a place to live Cambridge is delightful, except for the housing costs which range from infuriating to life threatening depending on your income :)

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fitdude19 t1_j2mm7ei wrote

Brazilians are spread literally everywhere all over Mass. Seems to have a big cluster in Framingham, much larger than other cities but you may find a small community in other towns like Cambridge and Everett as well. As for how much income, depends on where you live and lifestyle but for a family of 4 to be 'comfortable' I'd say $200K if you can minimize unnecessary splurges and want to save some money as well

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edumeneses OP t1_j2ueqq5 wrote

Thanks. I'll probably not be able to make this amount of money myself, but maybe as a family income.

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Barbara_Ganoush_ t1_j2vjwzd wrote

Depending on how close to the city you're hoping to live, Framingham is about 20 miles from Cambridge, and has one the highest Brazilian populations in the US (although Somerville is a close second). It also has much more affordable rent compared to Boston. Only potential downside to consider would be the commute, which at peak hours can be up to an hour or so. For income, I would suggest anywhere between $150k - $250k, but preferably towards the higher end depending on how close you to Cambridge you rent.

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edumeneses OP t1_j39gz41 wrote

It will be sad to live far from work. We're used to walk to do everything around here. Let's see how things unfold.

Thanks for the answer!

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berlage1856 t1_j3jve1o wrote

If you can manage to afford a place to live in Cambridge, it would be a wonderful place for you and your kids to live.

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