Commute time versus price per square foot in Greater Boston
You might have a similar commute time in Allston or Brighton as towns well outside of Boston proper.
You might be surprised to hear that if you live in Allston or Brighton, you could have a similar public transportation commute time to people living outside of the city in towns like Andover, Lowell, or Lynn. (Well, if you took the Green line at all last winter maybe you’re not that shocked.)
But your Brighton home or apartment probably costs a lot more than it would in the suburbs.
For example, the commute time from Brighton to North Station on public transportation is about 51 minutes during rush hour, while the commute time from Andover is 50 minutes. But a square foot of living space in Brighton costs an average of $393, while in Andover it is just $264 per square foot.
All that and more is laid out in this chart by Constantine Valhouli, the cofounder of NeighborhoodX, a neighborhood-specific reporting and data startup. (Follow the link to see an interactive version that includes price-per-square-foot figures for each neighborhood.)
Valhouli compiled the commuting information by measuring the time it takes to get from each town to North Station. He found each of the commute times via a Google query between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and used the longest of the available transportation options, to get a more conservative estimate. For example, if taking the commuter rail was shorter than taking the T from a given place, he chose the time it takes on the T. He found the purchase price per square foot through using public data and proprietary research, with some numbers from Trulia.
Hoping to understand the relationship between location and price, Valhouli found there are places in Boston that often get overlooked.
“We are so focused on Somerville and Medford and South Boston,’’ Valhouli said. “And we forget about some of the under-the-radar places that have a third of the commute.’’
Some places he mentioned were Chelsea, which held the second fastest commute time to North Station behind the North End, at 14 minutes, Quincy at 21 minutes, and Revere at 26 minutes.
Story continues after gallery.
These photos show that the North End was always awesome:
Homes in Chelsea, Quincy, and Revere all have significantly lower price-per-square-foot figures than places with similar commute times, like Back Bay, Kenmore Square, and Harvard Square.
“You are going to probably see more and more people choosing [these places] out of necessity, “ Valhouli said. “It’s only a matter of time when those are the places that are no longer overlooked.’’
See the full interactive chart here.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com