Why is it more expensive to live in a city?
Don’t forget some of the non-monetary expenses of those who live in city, suburb, or country… When I lived in San Diego I had co-workers who commuted two hours one-way from Riverside County or even lower Orange County. They had not only the direct cost of commuting but also the very real cost of giving up those extra hours of the day to sit in traffic, the stress, the effect on home, family, community life, etc.. As for me, back then I lived in a relatively poor inner city neighborhood. My cost of living, in numbers, was less than if I lived in the suburbs — but I had the “cost” of more noise (I lived under an airport flight path), more crime, more social ills (I once found a drugged out homeless person sleeping in my garage), fewer stores (I had to choose between a teeny corner store or driving a few miles to Ralphs or Vons) and so on.
