Apartments in Boston are cheaper than its Northeast Corridor neighbors like New York and Washington, D.C., But that doesn’t mean that you can’t find outrageously priced apartments that offer a plethora of luxury. But in fashionable areas from Back Bay to Fenway-Kenmore to Beacon Hill, where and what is the most expensive apartment in Boston?
It’s the Seaport District, Boston’s trendiest neighborhood, where you’ll find the priciest pad in Beantown. It’s an over 1,500 square-foot three-bed, three-bath 21st-floor apartment that will break your bank. Apartment 2101 of The Alyx at EchelonSeaport, the most expensive apartment in Boston, will run you a pretty 12 grand a month. That’s an incredible $8 per square foot.
In the desirable Seaport neighborhood
It’s no surprise that the most expensive apartment in Boston is in the most expensive neighborhood in Boston. At the top end of Southie is the trendy, young professional Seaport District. The area across Boston Harbor from Jeffries Point and Logan Airport averages $3,712 for a one-bedroom apartment.
The Alyx at EchelonSeaport is located at the edge of the District’s “M Block” (for Melcher Street). Real estate experts have described the area as, “Similar to the Meatpacking District in New York. The same character with all the brick and beam buildings… residential and really cool restaurants.” This is what the Alyx rises above.
The Seaport District sits along the Main Channel. The Big Dig tore down highways and opened up this portion of Southie to development a dozen or so years ago. Ever since, it’s become one of Boston’s hottest destinations for restaurants, bars, clubs, nightlife and residential living.
Seaport’s trendy cafés and brewpubs sit alongside office buildings, high-rise apartments, condo towers and museums such as the Institute of Contemporary Art and the Boston Children’s Museum. There are a number of green spaces as well, including Fan Pier, South Boston Maritime, Eastport, Martin’s and Waterfront Parks and Seaport Common. It also houses the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and the Seaport World Trade Center.
The Alyx itself sits a block from the port convenient to the water taxi and ferry docks, and the Harbor Walk. It shares a complex with the EchelonSeaport condo building, and the two enjoin several resident amenities and a hot neighborhood. It is steps from a number of well-known restaurants. The World Trade Center “T” station on the Silver Line is only a block away. And it’s just a ten-minute walk to the edge of Downtown.
A luxury living experience
The EchelonSeaport features 733 units, 285 of which are apartments in the Alyx. Unit 2101 is the most expensive listed unit. It has three bedrooms and three full bathrooms. The rest of its 1,583 square feet offer an entrance foyer, island kitchen and 287-square foot living/dining area. Off the living room is a 300-square foot balcony.
The master bedroom features a double walk-in closet and master bath with a large shower and a two-sink vanity. The second bedroom also offers an en suite bathroom and walk-in closet. The final bedroom offers a bigger walk-in, but its bathroom is off the common area.
The custom-designed kitchen is loaded with high-efficiency stainless-steel appliances, Italian cabinetry and Caesarstone countertops. The sink is embedded in the stone island, which is open to the living area. The apartment offers oversized double-paned windows, hardwood floors and vinyl tile and an in-unit washer and dryer. The exterior windows have spectacular city views that look out over Downtown and out to Back Bay and Fenway.
The apartment’s 21st floor tiered balcony opens up through the living room. It has a square design adjacent to the neighboring unit with south and west views out over greater Boston. A landscaped tree-and-flower bed fills the far edge of the space over Congress Street and Pier 4 Boulevard.
Unique high-class amenities
Kohn Pedersen Fox architects of New York designed The Alyx at EchelonSeaport. The design, it is noted, is inspired by the brick and brownstone rowhouses of Boston’s Victorian neighborhoods.
It is part of a 1.33 million square foot, three-tower mixed-use complex. Along with the apartments in Alyx and the condos in the main building, there are 125,000 square feet of restaurant space and a 19,000 square foot landscaped plaza at the complex’s center.
It’s a certified green building featuring a number of common spaces and amenities. Along with the plaza courtyard, there are a comfortable resident lounge, a family play center, large conference room and full day-and-night staffed concierge desk. Residents also have access to an exclusive outdoor dog run.
In the center of the courtyard is a 75-foot pool. Its sundeck features private cabanas, comfortable lounge seating and cozy firepits. Lush green landscaping lines the entire area. The complex also offers a state-of-the-art Wellness Center. Amenities include cardio and weight-training equipment, fitness-on-demand classes and an outdoor yoga and exercise deck.
And one of the complex’s key features is its workspace center. The Echelon Innovation Center is an 8,000 square foot high-tech workspace for corporate and individual use. It can be utilized for anything from a quiet space to study to a full-time co-working space, with available programs developed by Boston’s leading academics and incubators.
The Alyx’s block is “very walkable” with a Walkscore of 78 and an excellent 90 Transitscore. Residents’ assigned grade school is the James F. Condon School until eighth grade and then onto Excel High School.
What else you could get for the money
For all that luxury, that’s a big expense. For living the Seaport life, $12,000 a month is a big chunk of change. If you weren’t shelling out all those beans, what else could you afford for that amount of cash?
- Three-and-a-third entire other one-bedroom apartments for the average in Boston of around $3,580 a month (as of July 2021).
- Season tickets for a family of four to 41 Boston Bruins games, with $35 a game left over for a Hub Hotdog, a slice from Sal’s Pizza and a Sam Adams.
- Monthly tuition for two students at MIT, plus on-campus housing and a meal plan for both.
- Ben Affleck’s actual baseball cap, Robin Williams’ actual watch and Minnie Driver’s actual jewelry from the “Good Will Hunting” props auction.
- 5,240 large coffees from Dunkin’ each and every month.
More affordable but still expensive units
You don’t have to spend $12,000 a month to live in the lap of Boston luxury. There are plenty of slightly more affordable, upscale apartments in some of Beantown’s most popular neighborhoods. Here are a few alternative Hub spots.
- Ora Seaport: $9,460 for three bedrooms
- NEMA Boston: $8,200 per month for three bedrooms
- James and Harrison Court Apartments: $7,225 for two bedrooms
- Avalon at Prudential Center: $6,800 for two bedrooms
- Hub25: $6,193 for two bedrooms
Enjoy it if you can afford it
If you have the means and motivation to spend twelve grand a month on a Boston apartment, don’t let us stop you. It’s a pricey proposition for three bedrooms, a grand view out over the city and a slew of luxury amenities.
