What $450,000 buys in Boston now

The sum definitely gets you on the property ladder in the city, with nice spreads readily available in neighborhoods such as Hyde Park, Dorchester, and East Boston

By Tom Acitelli@tomacitelli Jan 23, 2020, 7:00am EST

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 $450,000 in different Boston neighborhoods.

Dorchester

A new and spacious kitchen with counters meeting at a right angle.

A new bathroom with no curtain on the shower.

Part of an empty living room with a bay window.

The front door of a newly renovated condo with a stairwell next to it leading down.

Unit 1 at 5 Everett Street in Dot’s Uphams Corner comes with central air and in-unit laundry as well as two designated off-street parking spaces. The 900-square-foot condo includes two bedrooms and three bathrooms. The tag is $450,000 even, with a HOA fee of $175.

Dorchester

An open kitchen with a table and chairs.

An open living room with furniture next to a hallway leading to a front door.

A bathroom with the curtain drawn on the shower.

Also in Uphams Corner, Unit 2 at 26 Elder Street is 850 square feet with three bedrooms and one bathroom. There’s central air here too, and the condo comes with washer-dryer hookups. The asking is $450,000, and the HOA is $180.

East Boston

A spacious, capacious lobby of sleek new condo building, with furniture.

Unit 507 at 99 Sumner Street on the Eastie waterfront is part of a relatively new development called the Mark at DeNormandie Wharf. As such, the 447-square-foot studio’s $449,900 tag and $321.94 HOA entitle an owner to access to amenities such as a fitness center, a terrace with fire pits, and a golf simulator.

Hyde Park

An open, empty kitchen-living room area with the fridge around the corner from the kitchen area.

An empty bedroom with sloped ceilings, a closed closet door, a radiator, and a window.

An empty bedroom with three windows and a radiator.

A leaf-strewn sideyard to a condo building.

The top-floor Unit 3 at 71 Neponset Avenue in Hyde Park’s Fairmount Hill area includes four bedrooms and two bathrooms within its 1,146 square feet. There’s in-unit laundry, and the $449,000 tag covers two tandem parking spots too. The HOA for the recently renovated spread is $175.