This is the kind of post we used to have stickied answers for and a wiki when I was still a redditor at /r/boston. I’m not sure if those things are even an option on Lemmy.

There’s an entire science to answering this question and I don’t have the bandwidth to type it all out from scratch. But as briefly as I can state it, here’s what you need to know about finding an apartment in Greater Boston.

• Our public transit is quite literally on fire most days and cannot be relied on. Stay as close to your job as you can.
• Our traffic is abysmal and parking is a full contact sport. Try not to own a car if don’t have to.
• Our building stock is old and filled with lead paint, which is hazardous to young children.
• • landlords in Mass are legally required to de-lead a unit with a child under age 5 in it. They are not legally allowed to discriminate against families. However, it can cost $15-20k to de-lead a unit and there is no return on that investment in the form of a higher rent. So although discrimination against families with children is prohibited, in practice with the highly competitive market here it is easy for landlords simply to pick another applicant or find a non-prohibited reason to deny your application.
• Most of our old housing stock is in 2-3 unit buildings (aka 2-families or 3-families) without elevators and with small shared yards.
• • A “garden” in the US is an area where food or flowers are grown, if you just want a patch of grass it is a yard.
• Our rental market revolves around leases that start September first, with most landlords trying to get leases signed in the late spring and early summer. So if you show up next month, you will have very little to look at.
• The market is incredibly competitive, and bidding wars on apartments are not unheard of.
• You will almost certainly end up working with a rental agent.
• • Rental agents are universally disliked.
• You can expect to pay 4x rent to move in: first month, last month, one month security, and a 1 month fee to the agent. These are the only fees allowed by law (the law does allow a small fee for a new lock).
• Most apartments listed by agents are listed on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service). Apartments listed by private owners are not.
• • MLS listings can be found on a wide variety of websites but for some reason Coldwell Banker seems to have all of them for Boston rentals so you might as well use that
• • Non-MLS listings can be found on craigslist, facebook marketplace, etc.
• • Apartments.com has both.

On the plus side, your budget is realistic and will get you a nicely updated unit, we have excellent local parks and playgrounds (better on the Boston side of the Charles river, but still pretty good up north) so you may not need a private yard, and in Cambridge and Somerville it is practical to live without a car, especially if you’re willing to commute by bike.

I’m a real estate agent. I don’t do rentals and am not here soliciting a commission. I drew a map of areas I’d suggest you look at and put in the following criteria for my search (consumers cannot do a search like this, this is using a tool for professional agents only): 2+ bedrooms, 900+ sf, certified deleaded or lead paint flagged as “none” (because of a gut renovation or construction after 1978, the year lead paint was banned), price ceiling $4000. That returned only 31 hits. It will also include older buildings that have been completely renovated. Remove the bit about lead and you get almost 200 hits.

Here they are on a map:

It gives you a sort of heat map of where the apartments are, and all of those places are neighborhoods/cities I’d say you should consider.

Here are several units I would recommend taking a look at if you were on the market today. No affiliation with Coldwell Banker or any other firm, I work for myself and don’t have a website so these are just the first hits that pop up when I search the MLS numbers:

https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/ma/somerville/60-newton-st-2/pid_54506667/ (typical of our housing stock, larger unit in older condition, excellent location a 2 minute walk to a phenomenal park with multiple playgrounds and within 15 minutes walk to many good restaurants, groceries, etc.

https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/ma/cambridge/29-wheeler-st-310/pid_54517037/ A bit farther out from your job and near a very busy section of road, but very close to the Fresh Pond which has acres of walking trails and parks, and also very convenient to groceries, coffee, etc.

https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/ma/cambridge/2-chester-st-2b/pid_54446379/ Phenomenal location in between Davis and Porter Squares and it has a small patio area

https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/ma/cambridge/27-west-st-6/pid_54634067/ Another great location, about a 3 minute walk from Sennott Park which is small but has a playground, and some other small playgrounds within easy walking distance.

https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/ma/arlington/1-watermill-pl-521/pid_53662391/ now you are getting a bit farther from your job in a more family-oriented town. Probably 15-20 minute drive to work, or a manageable bike ride. Older full service elevator building with a large common green space and close to quite a few parks, etc., at an attractive price.

4k for a 2br anywhere around Cambridge should be plenty.

Arlington

Do you mean a vegetable garden (like a personal farm), or so you mean a backyard? Or both? British and Americans use the word “Garden” differently and this isn’t a typical request.

That’s a good budget, so anywhere in Cambridge will be good if you want a 2 bedroom apartment. Very safe, walkable city, lots to do. Closer you are Kendall/MIT, the better - but if you want a little better bang for your buck, East Cambridge is great.

Arlington is also great if you want something more suburban. Also Belmont. Commuter Rail + Red Line and you can be at work in 25 minutes. Or bus and be there in 45. Ideally, you want to live and work in the same side as the river for best transit.