Does country living pay off?

[mom-from-missouri]

I had this discussion with a friend, who complained because we live so far out. According to her, the cost of living is much higher for people who live in the country, although she could not show any studies on that fact. She didn't understand how we could live without all she is used to in the city. She is under the impression country folks have to have these items and travel to get them. I feel, it is less expensive to live in the country. Her complaints included:

no public transportation
no library
no arts of any kind or enterainment
no fast food
no dry cleaner
no gym
no laundermat
we are "forced" into having to own vehicles
higher gas usage thus more spent on vehicles
costs more to mow as country dwellers tend to have bigger yards


My answer to her was I think because we live in the country our dollar goes further. Yes, my husband travels further to work (works long shifts, 4 days a week), but there are days my vehicles never leave the farm.

We aren't tempted on a whim to run out to eat fast food
working on the farm is free--gym membership is not
who needs a laundermat? Haven't been in one in years.
Our auto insurance is much less than hers, as there is much less traffic and our county is low rated for auto accidents
Our homeowners insurance is less, as we have less breakins in our area (we off set the fire ratings as we have several ponds for water)
We have room to grow our own produce, and meat (try raising beef or catfish in the city...)
We have no home owner association fees
We have no hoa telling me I can't use my clothesline
Sometimes I let the horses mow for me......
Entertainment?? In our yard we have volleyball, croquet, soccer, tetherball, swingset, slide, horseshoes(we acutally have more than our local park). We probably have over 30 board and card games in the house, in addition to movies and the wii, gameboy, atari (yes, it is still going) and xbox.
I have a lifelong collection of books--over 2000. And, since we homeschool we can go to the next county over and they will let us borrow books for a full quarter. (although we do have to pay library fees). But, we only go every few weeks, so less gas. We can check out up to 200 at a time.
We can heat with wood. Several communities ban wood heat, stating it is a fire hazzard to surrounding homes.
I can wash my car in my driveway....sounds silly, but a friend of mine in the city got a ticket for doing that, and had to go to court over it....seems you are not allowed to wash, wax, or paint a vehicle in the driveway in her community.....
Our taxes are lower, as we pay the ag rate, not the residential rate. In fact, our taxes on 80 acres is less than half her real estate tax on a house on a single sized lot.
We can shoot of fireworks!!! (not that it has anything to do with being frugal, but we shoot them off for free, where she pays to attend her local show each July. Of course we pay for them, but everyone who comes over brings some, so we don't have to buy a whole lot,
We don't pay for snow removal, as we have our own equipment to do it. (the first winter it paid for itself)

So, those of you who have lived both in the city and in the country, do you think it is more costly one way over the other?

[bjl584]

I live in a rural area. I always have, so I can't speak for city living, but I think it's relatively inexpensive to live in the country. It seems to be slower paced and less stressful anyway.

I don't pay to park, I don't sit in traffic, I can't hear my neighbors talking, the air is always fresh. It's just what I'm used to. I enjoy going to the city, but I wouldn't want to live there.

[kork13]

She didn't understand how we could live without all she is used to in the city.

I think this is the main reason here. She's used to the city, so that's what she prefers. I've lived mostly in "cities," but many of them are smaller, more integrated mix of urban/rural communities. I see benefits of both, and each option has its high points. I love attending symphony performances, so city life is good for that. But the privacy and calmer nature of country life is beyond compare.

Personally, I'd say the country is FAR less expensive, but you are (by necessity) more self-reliant for alot of things that are typically provided or readily available in the city. Your snow removal and entertainment points are perfect examples. And because you have to do these things yourself (not provided by the city), your taxes (and often utilities) will be lower, and over time, all of the stuff that you own yourself reduces the lifetime cost--like laundromats.

Her best argument, I think, is in the auto gas costs. Not to stereotype, but most people in the country own trucks, which are required for certain farm or other living tasks (firewood, for example). The trucks are definitely less efficient, so every time they're taken into the city (which also takes more miles and more gas), it costs a fairly significant premium versus living in town.

[YLTL_Dan]

I grew up in a small town but have lived in big cities the last 10 years. The DW and I are both considering a move back to the country and the ranching lifestyle. My friends in the city chalk it up as the 'grass is greener' problem and think we would get bored.

I love open space and the thought of keeping productive land. However, I do think about the isolation and lack of neighbors and wonder if I would lose touch. We currently live in uptown New Orleans and we love having our friends blocks away. Any thoughts on this?

[greenskeeper]

depends what you call "country living"

within commute of a major city?

truly out in the country?

for the latter, it may be cheaper to live but wages are also lower, so I think it balances out.

Our first home in the "country" was only 100k, but my wages were 30% less and my wifes were 50% less for the same line of work.

When we moved back to the suburbs, that same house (maybe a little larger) with less land was 260k, but our wages were much higher.

[asmom]

I grew up in a rural area; with the exception of housing which is oddly expensive if you do an apples to apples comparison to the suburbs it is much cheaper overall. However, it was quite boring on the weekends and after 6pm when they shut the town down. The stimulation, the entertainment options and opportunities afforded by a big city cancel out the lower costs of living in a rural area (IMO).

[Tonyall]

I imagine the country has to be cheaper overall. Especially now with the internet, you can bring many things to you regardless of location. Still, I am not going back to the country until I retire.

[mom-from-missouri]

Her best argument, I think, is in the auto gas costs. Not to stereotype, but most people in the country own trucks, which are required for certain farm or other living tasks (firewood, for example). The trucks are definitely less efficient, so every time they're taken into the city (which also takes more miles and more gas), it costs a fairly significant premium versus living in town.

True to a certain extent. As long as a farm vehicle doesn't leave the farm, we can buy and use ruby red (dyed) diesel in it, which we as farmers can buy at a lower price and tax free. That is what we use in our tractor and farm truck. But, you can't burn it on the highway. and the highway patrol is known for pulling over farm vehicles and checking their tank.

[LuckyRobin]

Although I think it was somewhat cheaper when we lived out in the country, I found myself longing for certain things the city offered, especially on the days when I had to make the long drive in to town. I got really tired of the isolation out there, though the first couple of years I really liked it. I also hated getting snowed in for weeks at a time or losing power for several days without it being restored. I think it really depends on whether or not you are a "city" person or a "country" person and so much of it has to do with where you grew up. I find I am much happier living in the city, but glad that we have a big enough yard to raise chickens and ducks and have a garden, kind of the best of both worlds.

[rob62521]

I have lived in both. I think living in a smaller city is a happy solution for me. We have a decent yard and a small garden, but live close enough for th library and stores.

[cschin4]

test----

[cschin4]

checkin

[josetann]

I've lived in rural areas most of my life, but reading this, perhaps my definition of rural is wrong. To us, rural was living in a place with no Wal-Mart or McDonald's nearby. I consider our house to be in a rural area; I can get to a Wal-Mart and McDonald's in 30 minutes though (60 minutes to a decent sized city).

Low cost of living is definitely a huge factor in living there. The other is because of family nearby.

Now, we've lived in cities of various sizes for months at a time. Houston, Texas for three months; nice place to visit, not sure I'd want to live there. Anchorage, Alaska for 4+ months; might be able to pull that one off. Fairbanks, Alaska for 11+ months; if we were to move, and had to pick a new place to live in the US, Fairbanks is near the top of the list. We haven't been there during the worst part of winter (we arrived in March both years), but we did get a taste.

Cheaper house also means we're not as tied to that area. If we were paying $1,500/mo for a mortgage, we'd pretty much be tied down to that house. As it is, we pay $110/yr for property taxes, plus a minimal electric bill (so heat and a/c are run just a bit when needed, we're talking 50 in winter and 80+ in summer), and $100+ a month for yard mowing in summer.

It's a pretty good mix for us. We can have city living part of the year, country living the other. In the city we have more activities for the kids (zoo and space center in Houston; movie theater and restaurants in Anchorage; Tae Kwon Do, restaurants, ice alaska, etc. in Fairbanks). In the country we visit family more, have home-cooked meals, play on the swingset outside, play in the creek behind the house (and point out the cows), go out (to a larger city) once a week or two for shopping, take a trip to Disney, etc.

Oh...yeah we can wash our car in the driveway. Heck, there's hardly any rules where we are. In fact, there's not even any building codes; if you want to just start building, go for it! Does make for some interesting looking houses (note...there are electrical codes if you want to connect to the grid, it has to pass an electrical inspection at least once).

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Country living is cheaper. Grew up that way, and my mom loves it. I hate it. But I'm not exactly city enough to love the city, even a small city. I think more suburbia for me, where I have space but accessibility to the city.

[James_Thomas]

Country vs City Living

I have lived in both a big city and in the country. I think generally speaking, country living is a little more affordable, but in the end, it really comes down to someone's individual spending habits. If you live in a big city and want to live cheap, you certainly can. You just have to use the conveniences and money saving opportunities you have to your advantage.