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What $500,000 buys in Boston

The sum can command a wide variety of properties in neighborhoods such as Dorchester, East Boston, and Jamaica Plain, though most won’t be all that big

By Tom Acitelli
A scale. One side of the scale is holding a heart. The other side of the scale is holding a the symbol for money: a dollar sign. The central part of the scale reads Curbed. In the background is a pattern with keys. Illustration.

Welcome to Curbed Comparisons, a regular column that explores what one can rent or buy for a set dollar amount (or thereabouts) in the Boston area. Is one woman’s studio another’s townhouse? Let’s find out! Next up is $500,000 in five different Boston neighborhoods.

Allston

A small, low-ceilinged living room-kitchen area.
The corner of a small living room, with furniture facing a flat-screen TV.
A small bedroom with a bed. Photos via Compass
The wall of a bathroom, with the sink showing.

Unit A at 12 Glenville Avenue is 950 square feet and includes three bedrooms as well as two full bathrooms. There is central air too. The tag is $500,000 even and the HOA fee is $340.

Roxbury

A living room with lots of furniture bunched toward a fireplace. Photos via Cameron Real Estate
A dining room with a table and chairs.

The house at 101 Mount Pleasant Street is also asking $500,000 even. It runs to 2,216 square feet, and includes five bedrooms and one bathroom. The listing makes clear that the spread could use some work.

East Boston

A modern kitchen with a right-angle counter and double-door fridge. Photos via Century 21
An empty living room with two windows, and there’s a front door next to the living room.

One assigned parking spot comes with the townhouse-like Unit 36 at 36 Eutaw Street. It contains 1,067 square feet on two levels and three bedrooms as well as one and a half bathrooms. There is a washer-dryer hookup. The tag is $499,900, and the HOA is $250.

Jamaica Plain

Rendering of an open living room-kitchen area with furniture, and a large island separates the kitchen. Renderings via Advisors Living
Long-view rendering of a kitchen with an island with chairs in front of it.

The one-bedroom, one-bathroom Unit 206 at 3193 Washington Street is part of a new development called Tempo that opens this year. The condo is 630 square feet and includes central air. The price is $499,900, and the HOA is $252.

Dorchester

A small living room with a sectional couch around a coffee table.
A dining room with a narrow table and chairs.
A kitchen with an L-shaped counter and the fridge at one end of it. Photos via Compass

Unit 3 at 147 Sydney Street in Dot’s Savin Hill area includes two outdoor spaces and two bedrooms. There’s one bathroom, and the condo runs to 943 square feet. There’s central air and in-unit laundry. The tag is $499,900, and the HOA is $150.

Poll

Which $500,000 Boston home would you buy?

This poll is closed

  • 20%
    Unit A at 12 Glenville in Allston
    (12 votes)
  • 6%
    101 Mount Pleasant in Roxbury
    (4 votes)
  • 25%
    Unit 36 at 36 Eutaw in Eastie
    (15 votes)
  • 18%
    Unit 206 at 3193 Washington in JP
    (11 votes)
  • 28%
    Unit 3 at 147 Sydney in Dot
    (17 votes)
59 votes total Vote Now

Next Up In Boston Curbed Comparisons