The cost of living in Hingham or Cohasset (Boston, Beverly: real estate, health insurance)

[molly2004]

Hello, everyone. DH and I are seriously considering a move to the South Shore. We have two school aged kids and live in Melrose. For a number of reasons that include overall quality of life, love of the ocean and schools, we want to move to Hingham/Cohasset. Which town it will be depends on which house we fall in love with.

Aside from the obvious expenses like the house price and real estate taxes, what other costs are there to living in these towns? The more I've talked to people, I realize that I have to consider the following that I've never had to think about before:
- trash pickup or self-transport to transfer station
- septic maintainance
- well maintanance

What else should I add to this list? Any other community taxes or fees? What would you say are the ballpark costs to doing these things?

Thanks!

[kmann-sherborn]

Septic and well maintenance are usually pretty minimal, unless the well pump goes & that I think is around $500-600 to replace. You get a water quality/quantity test of the well when you move in & usually do those every year. Maybe a few hundred dollars, depending on what you're testing for. And you have the septic system pumped about every two years, which is several hundred dollars. I don't know what they charge for trash pickup there but we have it in Sherborn and it's pretty inexpensive. I think it's about $30 per pickup, which for me is definitely worth it to avoid weekend trips to the dump.

[gf2020]

If you live in Melrose now any reason why you wouldn't consider north of Boston waterfront communities like Marblehead, Beverly, Manchester or Ipswich? They all compare pretty favorably with Hingham and Cohasset and you don't have to deal with Route 3 traffic.

[mom2greatkids]

We made a similar move. Expect a major cultural change. Added expenses we've made: septic (minimal), landscaping (very expensive), and cleaning person. Hingham has a dump so all you need to pay is a yearly 25 $ sticker fee. One major thing I have noticed is when you need a plumber, electrician, flooring, painting, etc. they will all increase their price by about 10-15% when they hear you live in Hingham or Cohasset. I have seen this far too often and it drives me crazy. Best of luck!

[Beachcomber4]

Originally Posted by mom2greatkids

We made a similar move. Expect a major cultural change. Added expenses we've made: septic (minimal), landscaping (very expensive), and cleaning person. Hingham has a dump so all you need to pay is a yearly 25 $ sticker fee. One major thing I have noticed is when you need a plumber, electrician, flooring, painting, etc. they will all increase their price by about 10-15% when they hear you live in Hingham or Cohasset. I have seen this far too often and it drives me crazy. Best of luck!

Just curious why one needs a landscaper and cleaning person just because they live in Hingham or Cohasset. I understand if it's because you've upgraded and the property is too much to maintain on your own but if it's to keep up with the "cultural changes" it's just nuts.

If I hadn't heard a contractor who actually admitted they have a different charge for Hingham, I never would have believed it. He called it the PIA tax. I'm sure not everyone deserves it but it sounds like enough people are that it's common practice.

[wxjay]

^I was thinking the same thing re: landscaper and cleaning person. I don't want to lay it on mom2greatkids because those are her choices and she is free to purchases those services. But, I don't think those are expenses that all who make a move should have to consider. Quite frankly, my philosophy is that you purchase a place that suits what you need and that is below your means. If that is what Hingham or Cohasset are, then great and good luck finding a place. However, if you have to take on peer pressure and added costs to have a manicured lawn and exotic bushes, then I would reconsider.

[molly2004]

gf2020, I work in Boston so could go either north or south. It's mostly for DH. His work takes him throughout the south shore. In addition, he grew up on the north shore so really wants the change of scenery. The laid back rural feel of the south shore is a nice change of pace from the more urban area where we are now. And the areas you mention are...ahem...too too close to his brother.

mom2greatkids, that feedback is really helpful. Are your cleaners and landscapers local to Hingham? Or are all service people adding this "tax." We have both here in Melrose (I like my clean house and DH has to have this lawn like a country clubs, though it's the size of a postage stamp) and they're reasonably priced. Will I be facing serious sticker shock because it's Hingham?

One other big question, will I have to plan to spray for mosquitos? It's very wooded in these towns, compared to Melrose so I just wonder what we have to plan for on this front.

Thanks so much for the feedback.

[Beachcomber4]

Originally Posted by molly2004

Are your cleaners and landscapers local to Hingham? Or are all service people adding this "tax." We have both here in Melrose (I like my clean house and DH has to have this lawn like a country clubs, though it's the size of a postage stamp) and they're reasonably priced. Will I be facing serious sticker shock because it's Hingham?

One other big question, will I have to plan to spray for mosquitos? It's very wooded in these towns, compared to Melrose so I just wonder what we have to plan for on this front.

I'm sure mom will answer this too since it was posed to her but I can share with you what friends/family use in the area. Most of them live in the Kress Farm and Hingham Square to Crow Point areas. I've never heard any complain of being overcharged but honestly, it's not a concern for them and they value quality work by reputable companies. Village Green Landscape in Hanover is very reputable. A little pricey but it's not because of geographic area, it's because they are certified arborists etc and have a different degree of knowledge than the basic 2sch mucks with a truck, who don't bother to pay insurance guys who call themselves "landscapers". My brother is a yard freak. They don't use landscapers for vanity, it's just a necessity with the size properties they own. I do know that before a party my sister in law had their lawn person (through Village Green) spray for ticks and mosquitoes (lots of Lyme Disease in Hingham and Duxbury). She said it was fairly expensive but it was worth it to ensure the safety of her family and to enjoy the outdoor pool area. Apparently the state does mosquito spraying, by request for free but because of the depth of her property, the truck could not get far enough into her back yard to adequately protect them so they pay for the service. I don't know whoall their current cleaning ladies are but some use uninsured, non English speaking, cheap labor while others use companies that are bonded and insured. It's just a matter of what your comfort level is. Again, like landscapers/lawn care companies, plumbers, painters etc. that carry worker's comp, health insurance and liability insurance the cost is higher. I know my brother and SIL employ companies where she comes to recognize the people who come to her door so she feels comfortable with them being there.

I think you get more of an attitude about Hingham than Cohasset. Cohasset, although more affluent than Hingham is known to be more down to earth. Weird I know but what you will find about the south shore and I am quite sure most places is that those who have truly made it and are comfortable with their lifestyle, be it in a Cape style home in Liberty Pole or a sprawling Nantucket Shingle down in Crow Point, are great, it's those who are aspiring to something more that are the ones that force the PIA tax.

Good luck with your search!

[mom2greatkids]

I realize I didn't exactly answer you question when mentioning house cleaning and landscaping. This I apologize for. I just wanted to share what we had added to our expenses. You can find a variety of yard size so it all depends on what you can handle. We just could not keep up, same on the house cleaning. Our cleaning people are local and price is reasonable. Our landscaper is local as well but very expensive. We pay this price to ensure that the job is done right. We had gone a more cheaper route before and it didn't work out.

If you have kids expect to pay more for intown camps, town daycare, swimming lessons, music lessons, etc.
We get our septic pumped yearly and it cost around $200. We do need to get our property sprayed for bugs, pests, mosquitos, which is around $300 every 6 weeks.
Hope that helps.

[fzzl22]

The one expense I wasn't aware of prior to moving to Cohasset was the cost of water. Runs a bit over $2k/year for us. Something to do with the town water dept. screwing up, and charging more now to make up for budget issues. As far as trash goes, we bring ours to the town dump every weekend, but you can hire services that will do that for you. We're on town sewer, so I have no idea about well expenses.