For me (Cambridge, MA) it was definitely cheaper to get and pay tickets than to pay for monthly parking at my two apts ago apartment building. I averaged well under $100 worth of tickets a month, against a parking garage charge of $250/mo, plus I didn't ever have to wait for my car to be brought out by the garage valets.
Back in college (again in Cambridge, MA), a resident parking violation was $10, and garage parking in Harvard Sq for the evening was $14. Guess how hard it was for the residents to use their resident parking spots... (They've since raised it signficantly.)
I wish it was $10, the ticket I got today (was 3 minutes late to the meter) was $30. Of course this is Somerville, but the laws seem to stay consistent between the two.
Back in college (again in Cambridge, MA), a resident parking violation was $10, and garage parking in Harvard Sq for the evening was $14. Guess how hard it was for the residents to use their resident parking spots... (They've since raised it signficantly.)