Can you be more frugal in town or in the country?
Local pastry shop--one of the temptations of city life.
If you’ve read my recent guest post at Well-Heeled Blog, then you know that DH and I have decided to settle in a much more rural area here in France. Our decision to skip out of the biggest population centers pivoted largely on the fact that the cost of housing there seemed to negate the added monetary benefit of my career potential in a larger city. But we’ve still got a fairly big decision to make: do we live in a small city (about 50,000 people) or do we live in small town or village (around 1000 people).
Financial considerations of city versus country living.
Why living in a city is frugal:
- You may be able to park the car and save on gas and maintenance. . .you may even be able to live without a car! (The city we’re looking at has free bus service).
- You’re close to most services and shopping–which can make it easier to find savings and comparison shop. Some of the villages around here don’t even have a single shop–not a bakery, not a grocery stop, nothing! In such small areas, you can easily find yourself subject to a ‘convenience’ tax when you are forced to do your errands close to home.
- You may find more jobs. I wouldn’t exactly say that the small city we’re considering is a mecca of career opportunities for me, but at the same time, it looks like I’d have quite a few more options for work than if we lived out in the boonies.
Why living in the country is frugal:
- You can (usually) afford a better home for your money. In our case, this would mean a 3-bedroom house rather than a 3-bedroom apartment.
- If you have land around your home or are close to some land you can use, you can start your own garden–a frugal exploit in it’s own right.
Raw milk for sale in a small village.
- You may be able to have a shed or workshop allowing you to work on projects you wouldn’t work on in an apartment (repairs, soap-making . . .)
- You avoid the constant temptations to spend that you find in the city. I certainly noticed this when living in our village recently–there were no shops to window-gaze, and you can only go to the same café so many times before it gets old.
- You can occasionally buy products like vegetables, meat, milk and cheese directly from the producers.
- You are (usually) closer to nature and hence free entertainment. We love to hike and bike, so finding a location where you can do so without ‘leaving town’ appeals to us a great deal.
- Property taxes are far lower (if the township has its act together!!).
City or country, which makes the best money sense?
What do you think makes more sense money-wise? Did you ultimately make your decisions based on being smart with money or did other factors come into play when you chose your home?
I would choose a walkable city, since it is likely to have more cultural events.
I would choose the city/town as well. Actually, I think a compromise is best. I like to be in walking, biking, public transport distance to a city/town centre. Living outside of the centre often has lower property prices and usually you can find a bit larger place, maybe with a garden so you have the best of both worlds.
I’m always looking for a retirement location that meets my criteria.
Maybe it is where you are most comfortable and happy. Many people spend money to fill a void or out of boredom. If one is happy with wherever they choose, perhaps frugality can be in reach:)
I chose rural for cheaper housing, more space, fresh air, garden, less temptations, friendlier people. But finding a livelihood can be a challenge.
My ideal place to live would be a village where there is a Catholic Church, some shops to walk to and a small population. That would seem like a compromise between city and country. The area I live in is a little like that. I can walk 3 blocks to Church and 3 to 4 blocks to a couple of different grocery stores in different directions from each other. And the Main Street in my town still has small family-owned stores and pizzerias, and small restaurants, so that is nice. I would not like to live in a suburban development in the country where you have to drive to everything at a long distance. Not convenient enough for me.
I have only lived in two small cities (~12,000 pop) and one small town <1,000 pop) oh, and one larger city (100,000 pop) I loved them all. I found it was easy to live frugally just by changing my habits to fit the suroundings.
Having a garden and preserving your food has been one of my joys over the years. Yet, I know the savings really isn't all that much when I figure in costs: renting a tiller; seed/plants; pesticides (organic or not); fertilizer; electrcity to run the stove, freezer, dehydrater; jars, lids, bags. It all adds up.
Frugality is a way of life no matter where you live.
An interesting related fact is that people in cities are often healthier than those in the country – or at least those in the suburbs.
Actually, you may be okay in rural France I suppose.
The trouble is where people have to drive just to do their shopping or to visit friends. In cities, it’s much more viable to walk – and that incidental activity really adds up.
Don’t suppose it will help with your decision, I know! 
We chose a small city/town of 33000 which is near (20 mins) a bigger city of 300000. The real estate prices are phenonmenally different.
Our house ($285000) would cost $650000 in the larger city. We can walk to buy our groceries and if we needed something not available locally, we’re only a short drive away. Plus we are 40 mins away from an airport.
Hmm… Good question. I would imagine it would be cheaper to live in the country. It would be more a question of if you (meaning anyone) would be happy living in a rural area. I know even where I live in Michigan that housing is much cheaper the further out from the suburbs of Detroit you are, so I can’t imagine how much cheaper it would be to live way out in the country. Even if you live in the city, it would probably be hard to give up your car. Where I live there is terrible mass transit. If you have kids, it would be even harder given all their activities and such.
Personally, I have always dreamed of living in a small town, but it just isn’t practical for us right now. Someday…
For me, I picked the city: In a condo just across the river from downtown, so property taxes are a lot lower and property values are somewhat lower. Also, there are a lot of parks and green here, so I can still have that access to nature while still enjoying the benefits of a city.
We picked our home first by looking only in a radius of a 30 minute commute from our jobs and then by price. The 30 minutes put us in nice suburbs and the available foreclosures took care of the rest.
I’d want to live it the city for the convenience aspect. Plus, not needing a car is a big yay in my book.
Depends on the town. Some rural areas and towns are tourist traps–if it’s a nice place where you want to live, you can be sure someone else has found it first. Celebrity small towns such as Aspen or Telluride can be very expensive.
On the other hand, at least in this country it certainly is possible to find a nice place to settle and raise a family in a smaller town for a lot less money. I’ve always said I want the cultural amenities of the big city…but…hey! When do I actually use them? Would I be any less likely to go to a play or a concert if an hour or two of driving time were entailed? Or if I had to stay overnight in the big city now and again?
Many small towns are very walkable–you can get to many of the things you like or need to do on foot or by bicycle. Financially it may be a wash, though: though real estate is cheaper, food and gasoline are higher, because they have to be trucked in. And you may have to travel to get to a doctor, particularly a specialist.
Slightly larger towns and small cities nestled in the country can combine the benefits of both environments–Grand Junction, Colorado, and Prescott, Arizona, for example, or any number of towns and small burgs in Oregon.
BTW… If you have a master’s degree, you can teach distance-learning courses in any number of those proprietary schools I ranted about the other day, and also university extension programs and community colleges. You don’t even have to be in the same country.
I’ve never had the experience to live in a rural area, so I really have nothing to compare my experiences of living in a large suburban city to. However, my husband spent a few years during High School in a town of 1,000 people. He really disliked it. Mostly, he disliked the small town gossip and ignorance. Much of the population were farmers, not very educated, and any little family story or event would end up in the town newspaper. Maybe if he would have been older, he might have appreciated the small town farming aspect, but as a teenager, it wasn’t at all conducive to his lifestyle!
p.s. I didn’t mean to scare you, he was just a silly teenager at the time .
I agree with River-Rose. Where do you feel most happy?
I also think it depends on the culture of the city. Los Angeles and my hometown in MO are about as culturally different as you can get. It was easier to be frugal in my town of 60,000 in MO, not only due to a cheaper Midwestern cost of living but also because there was little to no external pressure to meet various expectations.
But when I visit my mother who lives 45 minutes outside of a town of 1,200, I spend virtually nothing. All purchases are made in bulk a couple of times a month, gardening is king, blah blah blah. But sometimes I itched for a little something to do like visit a cafe.
If I were to look at River-Rose’s suggestion, though, I’d probably try to find a nice little town or rural place that was close to a larger city with a culture I dig (like hippie friendly Portland, OR maybe?), as I seem to be happier in rural settings.
All I know is–I can’t wait to see pictures when you finally make a decision!
There’s a big difference between a small city of 50,000 and a town of 1,000. What about a small town of 5000-8000? I’ve lived in a couple of those, and would be happy to live in a town that size again.
From a financial point of view, if that were the only criteria, living in the country would be cheaper all things considered. Provided you paid low property taxes, and could buy some things online.
That said, for me – looking at all aspects of life – I prefer to be within a larger metropolitan area. Again, that’s just my own opinion, and there is no right or wrong answer.
I would choose a walkable city too, although I’ve never lived in one; this is probably why I have a craving to, I need to get it out of my system!
I hope all is well
Tree Hah! your plan to annex your neighbor’s property sounds like a good one. By the way, I can’t believe they just slapped up some roof tiles and sold it after it burned. . . scary. I really like the idea of an urban garden, I just don’t know if we can quite afford it. But yes, the city has a draw in that you actually have people around! Being a foreigner who knows relatively few people in France, that’s important to me.
Frugal Scholar You make a good point about the cultural events. Villages tend to have them too, but they are just different. They remind me more of block parties where it’s great if you already know everyone. . .not so great if you’re new.
Muji I like the idea of living just on the outskirts and being within reach of public transport. But I haven’t quite found such an option. . . yet.
River Rose “Many people spend money to fill a void of boredom.” How true. I suppose that finding what makes you happy and involved is probably a good antidote to that.
ET There is also just the added peacefulness that comes with living in a rural area. We were just visiting with some of my husband’s family and in the morning when you open the window you hear birds and nature sounds instead of cars, people etc.
Bernadette Yes, I think that living in a place where you’re dependent upon the car sounds unappealing. I think I’d feel really isolated–whether it was in the suburbs or the country.
Susan you make a good point about the frugal benefits of growing your own food and preserving it. It can be worth only marginal savings-if any. But it does sound like fun 
.
Monevator Sigh! It’s a hard decision, but not one we have to make right away. . .and of course, it’s never permanent, I guess. But that is a very interesting point about walking more in a city. When we lived in Marseilles, I probably walked about 1.5-2 hours a day easily. That’s a lot of natural exercise! Living in the downtown of a small city where everything is in a much smaller proximity, I walk about 30-40 minutes a day. Then again, the lessened ‘commute’ leaves me more time to do other things and there is always built in motion. I’ve also been thinking about the availability of health care facilities and hospitals!
Middleway That sounds like an excellent compromise. Last year we were in a town of about 10,000 that was close to Aix-en-Provence. It sounds similar to what you describe : a small town close to a big city. And the public transport was really convenient!. Having most commodities within walking distance and everything else a short stop away is ideal. And the proximity to an airport sounds like a real plus.
Everyday Tips–ah, the kids. We were just talking to some family that lives in the country and they end up driving their kids all over the place! I really, really dislike driving around all the time. I guess that’s the thing about rural areas: they are often less practical–which is perhaps why they are so much cheaper.
Kevin That sounds like a very smart decision. I like being close to parks and greenbelts myself and it sounds like you’ve done well dealing with the property taxes.
Budgeting in the Fun Stuff–I agree with you, not needing a car sounds like a dream. But at least you were able to find a home within a reasonable commuting distance.
Funny about Money You make some excellent points. We were scoping out a small town in a very remote location it was pretty good in terms of local services and cultural events BUT the gas prices and the food–look out! Hmm. . . I do like the idea of picking a small city that is a hub of a rural area though. They tend to collect lots of services and have plenty of doctors.
Little House Don’t worry, my dad has put the fear into me about small towns as well. He grew up in them and hated them—he always said, “Everyone knows everyone’s business.” Sounds stressful. Honestly, living in a city of 50,000, I still run into my husband’s family members whenever I go to the market or something. And when I worked here, I’d see clients around town as well. You don’t get to be incognito and that can be kind of tiring.
Consciously Frugal I love Portland. I’ve been thinking about Portland lately because it has interesting local culture with nice greenbelts and is close to nature and affordable. I just like it there, what can I say? Although it is not in France. . .hah!
Clisby You’re right. Strangely (!) there aren’t that many towns of the 8-10,000 population range around here. But there are a few and I think for me it would be better than someplace really small. I think also for raising kids it’s a little more practical too–more for them to do and a bigger choice of friends, I assume.
SquirrelersIt’s interesting too because choosing an area in which to live cannot just be a financial decision. It’s very personal. . .
LauraHaving lived in a walkable city before, I can say that there are benefits! In fact, my husband and I are kind of becoming addicted–although we still drool over little French villages.
This has been mentioned already but I think which might be more frugal also depends on what stage of life you are at. We moved into our present home in a village of 2,500 about ten miles away from a town of 500,000 when my eldest was under a year old. The village was great then, a doctors, playgroup and nursery school, primary school, very small library and a shop. Perfect for living with small children everything near and no pressure to spend money all the time.
Different story with teenagers though. There was a local scout group but all other activities were around 10 miles away (30-50 mins in evening rush hour). For a 90 min activity like lacrosse or athletics training I either drove them there, came home for a very short time and drove back giving me a 40 mile round trip or I halved the travel costs and spent a lot of time sitting in car parks doing my knitting! Often the latter to save the money .
I’m rambling but the gist of this is to think ahead to how you will live in the future not just what suits you now. You can move again, but if children are happy and settled in school you might choose not to, plus the process of buying and selling a house is costly.
Willow–those are good points. I like the idea of a walkable city for teenagers because they can be independent and have plenty of activities–for instance, here in town there are a hockey and ice skating rink, several sports teams, music conservatory, movie theaters and cafe’s all withing walking distance–and since teenagers can’t drive here (until they are 18!) it’s a good idea to consider how kids will survive w/o cars. And yes, selling a home and moving can be expensive–and I’m really tired of moving now .
For me its the city. I love being close to people. DH is a bit of a hermit so I need to be where the girls and I have ready access to other people. I grew up in the boonies and I can see the appeal. I do occassionally miss the room to roam. For right now we could get the best house and least taxes for our money in the city (no big lawn to fight over who is going to mow it), and I am able to bus, walk or bike into and from work. I have enough space to garden, although I dream about the neighbors house burning to the ground (not with them in it) so I can purchase the land and expand my land (oh wait that happened 6 years ago and because they didn’t have insurance they slapped some roof patches on and painted it and sold it to an unsuspecting family. I still want to buy their home, tear it down and add to my space, although it would be about a 30,000 improve and $20,000 in demolition, it would make me very, very happy. I have already planted my little mini orchard and additional garden beds where the house stands now….
I do love city living and I don’t know that I will always want to live here, but for now it works for us.