Living in the City vs. the Suburbs: Pros and Cons

Living in the city has many advantages, so does living in a suburban home. Even country options—or small-town living—have their advantages. What’s best for you may not be best for someone else.

What you want to do is weigh the pros and cons of either option and see where the balance lies when all is said and done.

Following, we’ll look into positive and negative aspects of suburban and urban living to help give you an idea of what to look out for, and how to structure your search. Think of this writing as an imagination stimulant.

Pros and Cons of Living In the City

The city is wide, it’s full of people, there’s always something going on, entertainment is unparalleled, opportunities abound, and life has a frenetic, swift pace.

Things are more expensive, but then again you’ve got a greater likelihood of “striking it big”, as the saying goes. It may take longer to get there, but if you do make it there, you’ve got great potential.

There are public transit options in the city, and there are some astonishing living solutions in high rises or luxury apartment communities.

Plus, you’ve got access to some world-class amenities which can’t really be enjoyed elsewhere. You can drive in to see such things from the suburbs, but it’s not going to be convenient with the associated traffic.

That brings us to the negative aspects of city life. There’s a higher crime, generally. Traffic is also going to be worse. Everything is going to be much more expensive. Things are loud. You can always hear sirens somewhere.

There’s an effluvium of exhaust in the air and smog across the skies. Construction can totally ruin a neighborhood for a few years, and you can’t escape.

However, if you had an apartment right above your place of work, you can eliminate your commute and defer the increased rental rate with decreased traveling costs. So even in the face of these clear disadvantages, there are some fine positives to consider.

Pros and Cons of Living in the Suburbs

Suburbs are full of homes that could appreciate continuously, or stagnate and drop off. Sometimes communities don’t get filled with residents as fast as they should, and remain “static” for years.

However, the neighborhoods are better, crime isn’t as bad, traffic in the suburbs isn’t as bad, and you’ll have access to better educational institutions for children.

There’s also a distinct propensity for finding better shopping, better dining, and some quaint local entertainment options in the suburbs.

If you find the right house in the right suburban community, you’ll be doing yourself a favor. However, if you get the wrong house in the wrong neighborhood, you’re going to be on the hook for a while.

Also, there’s likely going to be a high level of traffic from where you live to where you work on a daily basis. That will cost you incidentally.

You’ll have to deal with vehicular wear-and-tear, as well as the associated time to and from work. The average cost for wear and tear is just under 34 cents per mile.

If you drive twenty miles to work, and twenty miles from work for forty-nine five day weeks a year, that’s $3,332 in depreciation annually.

In ten years, you’ve lost $33,320 in vehicular costs alone—for an average driver. Not to mention the time lost. So your question will be: will suburban life save more than a less intensive commute and an urban dwelling?

Informing Your Decision

It’s wise to search through all available resources to construct an appropriate pros and cons list. You can find some especially worthwhile units in either suburban or urban climes of Dallas at this website, https://theurbanavenue.com/dallas-apartments/downtown-dallas/. Other, similar sites for the locality where you’re home-hunting can also be useful.

Consider where you are, and where you intend to be. Consider your existing costs now, and what they could be.

Design a pros and cons list for your alternatives, and weigh these things together to determine what your best choice is. For some it will be the city, for some, it will be the suburbs. Either way, making an informed decision is the best way to go.