Advantages & Disadvantages of Retiring in Boston

You think about retiring in Boston but want to get additional information about senior life, living costs, housing situation, entertainment, safety, public transport, medical infrastructure and much more before making your final decision in this regard?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you the pros and cons of retiring in Boston in the following chapters.

Retire in Boston – Overview

Reasons to Retire in Boston

1. Pensioners in Boston find good medical infrastructure
2. Good public transport
3. Retirees in Boston can get around by bicycle
4. You may not need a car to get around in Boston
5. Many recreational spaces in Boston
6. Boston is located at the coast
7. You can spend lots of time in nature
8. You can make nice day trips from Boston
9. Nice summers in Boston
10. Retirees in Boston can enjoy real seasons
11. Many great bars in Boston
12. You will find many good restaurants
13. Boston is a tolerant place
14. Many senior centers in Boston
15. Easy to socialize in the Boston region
16. You will not run out of important goods as a pensioner in Boston
17. Easy to get from and to Boston
18. Retirees in Boston have decent internet connection
19. Boston is a pretty popular place to retire
20. Many of your loved ones will envy you
21. Boston has decent air quality
22. Boston will be an important city for many decades

Pensioners in Boston find good medical infrastructure

One advantage of retiring in Boston is that you will find many great doctors and hospitals and this can be really important for you as a retiree since your risk of getting sick will be far higher compared to younger people and having excellent medical infrastructure can therefore be crucial at this age.

Good public transport

Retiring in Boston can also be great since you will have pretty good public transport and you can therefore get around by buses or other means of public transportation in a pretty decent and efficient manner.

Retirees in Boston can get around by bicycle

If you don’t want to rely on public transport, you can also get around by bicycle.

In fact, Boston is a bike-friendly city and this can be great for you as a retiree since you can get around, save lots of money, do good for our planet and stay fit at the same time while retirees in El Paso or other cities that are less bicycle-friendly will often not have this luxury.

You may not need a car to get around in Boston

Since you can get around by bicycle or use public transport, you may not even need a car as a pensioner in Boston and this can be great for our environment and you can also save significant money in the long run which you can spend on other nice and important things.

Many recreational spaces in Boston

Another upside to retiring in Boston is that you will also have many parks and other recreational spaces where you can just sit down and enjoy your leisure without being distracted by annoying noises or other unpleasant things.

Boston is located at the coast

You should also know that Boston is located at the coast and this gives you the opportunity to go swimming or just relaxing at the beach during summer which can be great for you as a retiree since the beach is for free and many other people retiring in Dallas or other places not located at the coast will not have this luxury.

You can spend lots of time in nature

There are also many nice lakes and forests in the Boston region and you can therefore also go hiking, fishing and do many other nice things as a retiree in Boston outdoors so you can stay fit and vital in the long run and will likely also never get bored in this region.

You can make nice day trips from Boston

Retiring in Boston can also be great since you can make many nice trips to New York City or other day trips so you will never get bored with your retirement in Boston and can see many new things in a rather uncomplicated manner.

Nice summers in Boston

You can also enjoy many nice summers in Boston with many hours of sun and this can be great to tan but also to get in a pretty good mood since the more sun we get, the happier we are as humans on average.

Retirees in Boston can enjoy real seasons

Not only can you enjoy nice summers but you will also have really cold winters and while this might not be for you if you can’t stand the cold at all and rather want to retire in Austin or other warmer regions, many people still like the cold and the snow and retiring in Boston therefore makes sense for you in case you don’t want to have warm weather all year long but rather want to enjoy real seasons instead.

Many great bars in Boston

You can also meet up with other retirees in bars and discuss what’s going on in the world right now.

This can not only be great to get useful tips but you can also make many new friends within a rather short period of time so you can avoid feeling lonely and getting socially isolated in the long run.

You will find many good restaurants

There are also many good restaurants you can try in the Boston region and this can be great for you as a retiree since eating out will be one of your favorite things to do and eating delicious foods can really make your senior life in Boston much better.

Boston is a tolerant place

You also don’t have to worry about your background at all since you will be welcome in Boston no matter where you come from as long as you are friendly and tolerant and are also willing to adapt to local cultures and traditions at least a little bit.

Many senior centers in Boston

Another benefit of retiring in Boston is that there are many great senior centers where you can hang out with other people of your age and can have a great time together.

You can also share valuable information with each other regarding how to enjoy senior life in Boston to its fullest so everyone can benefit from this information in the long run.

Easy to socialize in the Boston region

Since Boston is a tolerant city and you will have many opportunities to socialize on various occasions of daily life, chances are that you will be able to make many new social connections rather soon and you will quickly be able to build a strong social circle so you can help out each other and will also always have someone to talk to.

You will not run out of important goods as a pensioner in Boston

Since Boston has pretty great public infrastructure, you also don’t have to worry about running out of important goods for daily life and will also find most things you need close to your home.

Easy to get from and to Boston

Since Boston has an international airport, it will also be pretty easy for your friends to visit you in this city and chances are that you will have guests quite often and have a great time with your loved ones.

Retirees in Boston have decent internet connection

Thanks to the good internet connection you will have in Boston, you can also make video calls with your loved ones and can stay connected with the world in general since you will get all the information you need so you will know what’s going on in the world in real-time.

Boston is a pretty popular place to retire

You should also know that Boston is a pretty popular city and many people from all over the US consider retiring in Boston.

In turn, you will be able to meet many other elderly people and can have a great time with people of your age.

Many of your loved ones will envy you

Since retiring in Boston is pretty popular and Boston offers great overall quality of life, many of your loved ones will envy and secretly admire you for your plans and you will therefore have a pretty high standing among your peers and may also be able to give some advice for other people who may want to retire in Boston as well.

Boston has decent air quality

Compared to many other big cities, air quality in Boston is pretty decent and this can be great since you get the incentive to spend lots of time outdoors and can also benefit from good air quality since it will make it less likely for you suffering from serious pulmonary problems related to bad air quality.

Boston will be an important city for many decades

Since Boston is the biggest city in Massachusetts, it will also stay an important city to work, live and retire for many decades and you therefore don’t have to worry about too many people leaving this region or public infrastructure becoming worse anytime soon.

Now that you know the reasons for retiring in Boston, we also have to talk about the drawbacks of retiring in Boston so you can better decide whether you still want to retire in Boston or rather want to spend your retirement in a different place instead.

Disadvantages of Retiring in Boston

1. Many retirees in Boston struggle with high living costs
2. Hard to find a decent place to stay for many pensioners in Boston
3. Rents in Boston are barely affordable for the average person
4. Overall high financial pressure for people who retire in Boston
5. Many locals may have to leave Boston sooner or later
6. Cold winters may deter many people from retiring in Boston
7. Boston is not the safest city
8. Many retirees in Boston have to live in rather dodgy districts
9. Public infrastructure gets worse outside the city center of Boston
10. Natural disasters may become a problem in Boston

Many retirees in Boston struggle with high living costs

One problem with retiring in Boston is that living costs are pretty high.

In fact, you will have to spend much more money on drinks and many other things of daily life compared to people retiring in Columbus or other cheaper places so you will need a pretty high pension to afford a decent lifestyle in the Boston region.

Hard to find a decent place to stay for many pensioners in Boston

You should also know that housing shortage is a big problem in the Boston region and it is therefore pretty hard for many retirees in Boston to find a decent and affordable home within a reasonable amount of time.

Rents in Boston are barely affordable for the average person

Since many people want to retire in Boston, overall demand for housing is enormous and rents have skyrocketed over the past decade and many pensioners in Boston can no longer afford to pay those high rents in a reliable manner and may get evicted sooner or later.

Overall high financial pressure for people who retire in Boston

Since housing and living costs are so high in the Boston region, many retirees in Boston also have to deal with high financial pressure and if you don’t receive a really good pension, you may have to worry about money quite a lot and this can greatly lower your overall quality of life.

Many locals may have to leave Boston sooner or later

Since everything is so expensive, many locals who lived in Boston for decades are no longer able to make a decent living in this place and may have to leave the Boston region in the near future.

In turn, part of the charm of the city would be lost and this may adversely affect overall quality of life in the long run.

Cold winters may deter many people from retiring in Boston

Another downside to retiring in Boston is that cold winters may get really annoying in the long run and if you are a person who rather likes the heat, you may be better off retiring in Houston or other warmer places instead.

Boston is not the safest city

You should also know that crime rates in Boston are above national average and if you are a rather careful person, you may be better off moving to Virginia Beach or other safer places instead.

Many retirees in Boston have to live in rather dodgy districts

Since rents are so expensive, many retirees in Boston are not able to afford to live in a nice neighborhood and rather have to stay in pretty dodgy districts where they don’t really feel welcome or safe and therefore also no longer want to leave their homes at nighttime.

Public infrastructure gets worse outside the city center of Boston

While public infrastructure is great within the city center, you should know that it still gets worse in the outskirts of Boston and if you can’t afford to live close to the center, you may not be able to benefit from great public transport or other important things.

Natural disasters may become a problem in Boston

Another disadvantage of retiring in Boston is that natural disasters may become a real problem and may damage or even destroy your home sooner or later, especially if you live close to the coast where you may get hit by a serious flood.

Top 10 Retiring in Boston Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Boston A Good Place To Retire?

While retiring in Boston can be great since you can benefit from excellent medical infrastructure, good public transport and you will have high overall quality of life, you should still know that Boston is not the safest city and living and housing costs are extremely high so that many retirees still have to work at retirement age to be able to pay their bills.

Alternative Cities To Retire

If you don’t want to retire in Boston, you should also have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Denver

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Oklahoma City

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Indianapolis

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/bostoncitymassachusetts

Own research.

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.