Boston is expensive for one thing: the bed. Almost everything else is cheap or free. This guide solves the bed, then shows you how not to pay for things that cost nothing.
The short answer
The 10 ways to do Boston cheap
01
What a day in Boston actually costs
Three budgets for one person, per day, in shoulder season.
| Cost | Shoestring | Mid-budget | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed | Hostel dorm, $50–70 | Budget hotel or Cambridge room, $130–200 | Downtown 3-star, $220–320 |
| Breakfast | Bakery or hostel, $3–6 | Café, $8–12 | Sit-down, $15–20 |
| Lunch | Slice, dumplings or food hall, $6–12 | Casual lunch, $15–20 | Restaurant, $25–35 |
| Dinner | Chinatown or cook-in, $10–15 | Neighborhood restaurant, $25–35 | Nice dinner with a drink, $50–70 |
| Transit | 7-day pass, about $3.20/day | 7-day pass, about $3.20/day | Pass plus a rideshare, $15 |
| Attractions | Free days and sites, $0–6 | One paid museum, $20–30 | Two paid things, $50–65 |
| Drinks and extras | $5–10 | $15–25 | $30–50 |
| Total per day | About $90–120 | About $200–280 | About $400–550 |
02 · Where to stay
Where to stay in Boston cheaply
The biggest decision in a Boston budget, cheapest first.
HI Boston hostel
19 Stuart StDorms $50–80
Five minutes from the Common and the Freedom Trail. Breakfast included, a kitchen, free daily walking tours.
Found Hotel Boston Common
79 Boylston St$110–200
A budget hotel facing the Common with small private rooms and a shared kitchen. Cheapest private room in central Boston most nights.
Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline
Red or Green Line20–40% below downtown
The best budget move is to not sleep in Boston. 10 to 20 minutes from Downtown with their own restaurants and cheaper rooms.
Come in the off-season
Cheapest: Jan–early March
Rates can double between a Tuesday in February and a Saturday in October. Winter is cold, but the museums and library are the point anyway.
03
How to save on transit
Walk first. Downtown to the North End is 10 minutes, to the Seaport 15, to Copley 20.
Buy the 7-day pass for stays of three days or more; it covers subway, bus and inner-harbor ferries.
Buses 23, 28 and 29 are free through Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan.
Bluebikes for the Esplanade, Memorial Drive and the Southwest Corridor.
| Option | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Subway single ride | $2.40 | One or two rides a day |
| Local bus single ride | $1.70 | Short hops, Castle Island (bus 9/11) |
| 1-day pass | $11 | Five-plus rides in one day |
| 7-day pass | $22.50 | Any stay of 3 days or more |
| Bus 23, 28, 29 | Free | Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Franklin Park |
| Charlestown ferry (F4) | $2.40, included in pass | Harbor views, end of the Freedom Trail |
| Bluebikes | $2.95 a ride; about $10 a day | The Esplanade, Memorial Drive, Southwest Corridor |
| Airport: Blue Line or SL1 | $2.40 or free inbound | Everyone |
04
Free attractions worth building days around
The Freedom Trail: 16 sites, 13 free to enter. Boston Common, the Public Garden and the Esplanade at sunset. The Harborwalk from the Seaport to the North End. Bates Hall at the library, and Beacon Hill's streets. Harvard Yard and the free Harvard Art Museums. Piers Park in East Boston: a better skyline than any paid deck, for one Blue Line ride.
05
Museum free days and cheap admission
Most Boston museums have a free day or evening.
| Museum | Normal adult price | When it's free or cheap | Nearest T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard Art Museums | Free | Every day | Harvard (Red) |
| ICA Boston | About $20 | Thursdays 5–9pm | Courthouse (Silver) |
| Museum of Fine Arts | About $27–30 | Wednesdays after 4pm, pay what you wish | Museum of Fine Arts (Green E) |
| Isabella Stewart Gardner | About $20–22 | Your birthday; under 18 free | Museum of Fine Arts (Green E) |
| MIT Museum | About $18 | Last Sunday of the month | Kendall/MIT (Red) |
| USS Constitution Museum | Donation | Every day | North Station, or the ferry |
| Boston Athenaeum | Paid upper floors | First floor free, Tue–Sat | Park Street (Red/Green) |
| Harvard Museum of Natural History | About $15–18 | Sunday mornings for MA residents | Harvard (Red) |
06 · Cheap eats
Eating in Boston for under $15
Eat your big meal at midday, in these neighborhoods.
The North End at lunch
Hanover & Salem St$5–15
Galleria Umberto sells Sicilian pizza squares and arancini for a few dollars, cash only, until it runs out. Cannoli under $6.
Chinatown
Beach St & Harrison Ave$8–15
The cheapest sit-down dinner in central Boston: dumplings, noodles, dim sum, pho. Several places stay open past midnight, next to HI Boston.
Food halls and markets
Boston Public Market, Time Out Market$8–18
Boston Public Market is good for a $10 lunch. Fridays and Saturdays, Haymarket sells the cheapest produce in the city.
Student neighborhoods
Allston, Central, Davis, Mission Hill$8–15
Priced for 150,000 students. Allston has Korean, Vietnamese and Brazilian food on Harvard Avenue. Cheap bars are here too.
07
Cheap things to do by season
| Season | Hotel prices | Cheap and free highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | Lowest of the year | Library, free museum nights, the tree on the Common, First Night, Frog Pond skating, empty Freedom Trail. |
| Spring (Mar–May) | Rising; Marathon and May graduations are peak | Esplanade cherry blossoms, Lilac Sunday at the Arboretum, the Marathon, Swan Boats. |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | High, especially weekends | Free Hatch Shell concerts, Fourth of July fireworks, North End feasts, Castle Island. |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | Peak in October, dropping in November | Free foliage on the Esplanade, Head of the Charles from the riverbank, November rates. |
08
A 3-day Boston budget itinerary, priced
One person, HI Boston dorm, 7-day T pass bought on arrival.
| Day | Morning | Afternoon | Evening | Spend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 Downtown and the North End | Freedom Trail from Boston Common at 9am. All free. | Galleria Umberto lunch ($8). Paul Revere House ($6), Old North Church, USS Constitution (free). | Ferry back to Long Wharf (pass). Harborwalk at dusk. Chinatown dinner ($14). | Bed $60, pass $22.50, food $28, sites $6. About $117 |
| Day 2 Back Bay, the river, Cambridge | Bates Hall, Copley Square, Commonwealth Avenue Mall. Café breakfast ($7). | Esplanade, Longfellow Bridge, Central Square lunch ($12). Harvard Art Museums (free), Harvard Yard. | Sunset from Memorial Drive. If Wednesday, MFA pay-what-you-wish ($5). Central Square dinner ($15). | Bed $60, food $34, MFA $5. About $99 |
| Day 3 Beacon Hill, the harbor, the Seaport | Acorn Street, Public Garden and the Ducklings. Bakery breakfast ($5). | Blue Line to Piers Park for the skyline (pass). Boston Public Market lunch ($11). Castle Island by bus 9. | ICA free night if Thursday. Otherwise Seaport Harborwalk and one drink ($16). | Bed $60, food $30, drink $16. About $106 |
| Three days, all in, one person | About $320 | |||
09
Money-saving mistakes to avoid
Taking a taxi from the airport: $30–45 versus $2.40 on the Blue Line.
Renting a car: hotel parking is $40–60 a night and everything is on the T.
Paying full museum price on the wrong day: check the table above and move your museum day.
North End at dinner: reverse it. Lunch there, dinner in Chinatown or Allston.
Paying for a harbor cruise or observation deck: the Charlestown ferry and Piers Park do the same job.
FAQ
Boston on a budget: common questions
How much does a trip to Boston cost per day?
About $90 to $120 a day in a hostel dorm eating cheaply. Mid-budget, in a modest hotel or Cambridge room, is $200 to $280. The bed is the expensive part.
Is Boston expensive to visit?
Hotels are, and restaurants are pricey at dinner. Almost everything else is cheap or free: the Freedom Trail, parks, Harborwalk, library, museum free days and a $22.50 7-day T pass.
What is the cheapest way to get around Boston?
Walking. Central neighborhoods are 30 to 40 minutes apart on foot. Otherwise the $22.50 7-day pass covers subway, bus and the Charlestown ferry, and buses 23, 28 and 29 are free.
Where can I stay cheaply in Boston?
HI Boston hostel at 19 Stuart Street, Found Hotel at 79 Boylston Street, or Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline on the Red or Green Lines. Come November to March for the lowest rates.
Which Boston museums are free?
Harvard Art Museums every day. ICA Thursday evenings. MFA pay-what-you-wish Wednesdays after 4pm. MIT Museum the last Sunday of the month. USS Constitution Museum by donation.