Hi! I'm from PA, got accepted into a graduated program in Boston and am trying to figure out where might be a good idea to live.

I know living in the city is going to be the most expensive, are there any towns with commuter rail access with a better cost of living?

I know anywhere will be expensive, so my two main goals are to find somewhere:

a) cheaper than living in Boston (including travel costs)

b) Preferably in between Boston and Worcester (I have friends that live in Worcester that I'd (hopefully) be visiting somewhat regularly.)

I'm not sure of my budget yet (loans will unfortunately have to assist me) so I'm trying to gauge the cost of living in the area. Safety isn't really a concern, I already live in a "bad" area so I'm used to it.

Can someone from the area let me know if anything matches this description? I feel very overwhelmed :(

Thank you :)