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“You can’t make ends meet in this state with just one job.”

Since 2022, full-time dental student Emely Cepeda has been working as a personal assistant, caterer, organizer and cleaner alongside her studies.

Her extra work allows her to support herself in Boston, where the cost of living is over $50,000 a year, and to pay for her dental school tuition, including $4,000 for final exams.

“I needed something that was flexible, where I could set my own schedule,” said Cepeda, who found the solution at TaskRabbit, an online marketplace that connects freelancers with people looking for help with tasks like moving, home improvement, organizing and more.

Cepeda has been working in the restaurant industry since she was 15 and was considering becoming a bartender or waitress, but the hours required could interfere with her studies, courses and exams.

“Sometimes personal expenses seem prohibitive,” Cepeda said. “The ability to put as much work into assignments and earn as much as I need, while also being able to take a break when I want or need to focus on school, is hugely important to me.”

For many Bostonians, one income is no longer enough. While second incomes have always existed, the digital age has opened up new ways to find part-time work. Platforms like Uber, Doordash, Airbnb, and others help workers offset costs, which can be incredibly beneficial when living in the second most expensive state in the US.

“It’s important to realize that these kinds of non-traditional jobs have always existed. There’s a long tradition of freelance contract work. It’s just that it’s much easier to find these things today,” Matt Rutledge, an associate professor of economics and research fellow at Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research, said in an interview.

Rutledge has previously studied the gig economy and his current research focuses on the economics of retirement, aging, disability and work.

Massachusetts is the second most expensive state in the U.S., according to a Forbes Advisor analysis. In an informal Boston.com survey, some respondents told us they had to take on additional jobs to keep up with high prices and pay off debt.

“In this state, you can’t make ends meet with just one job,” wrote one respondent.

Catherine, another Boston.com reader, told us that she worked as a waitress while in college to cover room and board costs. As a social worker, Catherine has continued to work part-time as a waitress to pay off her student loans. After paying off the loans, Catherine hopes to get her own apartment, travel, and buy a new car.

“As far as I remember, when I was growing up in a working-class town, it was quite normal for our parents and grandparents to take on second jobs: nights, weekends, overtime. Nothing new for many people,” she wrote.

According to a Bankrate survey, part-time jobs are most common among Generation Z. 53% of this age group earn extra money on the side. By comparison, the figure is 50% for Millennials, 40% for Generation X and 24% for Baby Boomers.

“A lot of Gen Z are still students and (recent graduates). These types of jobs actually work very well if you’re maybe only a student during a certain time of the year,” Rutledge said.

And as students, they’re more likely to take on a part-time job to pay off their student loans. Average college tuition has more than doubled in a generation, and the high cost of living – especially in Massachusetts – is forcing workers to find new solutions to cover their daily living expenses.

“Student loans are the top thing in our minds because we really believe there’s still something we can do to get out of this, while housing costs just seem hopeless,” Rutledge said.

While second incomes are more common among the younger generation, side hustles are also a great way for people nearing retirement to extend their careers by leveraging their knowledge and connections or being their own boss, Rutledge says.

It is not uncommon to continue to have a part-time job or additional employment after retirement – ​​especially considering that the current cost of living does not always allow retirees to retire after leaving the workforce.

Since 2010, Social Security benefits have increased 58 percent, but they have also lost 20 percent of their purchasing power, according to the Senior Citizens League advocacy group. Between 2010 and 2024, “the cost of goods and services purchased by typical retirees increased 73 percent.”

“A little extra money is probably a good thing. We know Social Security doesn’t go as far as it used to,” Rutledge said. “At that age, it’s probably a good idea to get a little side job. When you’re younger and trying to make ends meet with a gig economy job, it’s hard to save for retirement. It’s hard to think that far ahead.”

Before you decide to take on extra work, consider the cost. It’s important to “remember that some of these jobs actually require you to pay your own expenses, such as your property, insurance and car payments,” Rutledge said. “You could end up making an hourly wage that’s just below minimum wage.”

“But this additional flexibility is a reason for me to be at least a little optimistic that something could work there.”