Highlights
- Moving from the city to the suburbs is an important decision that must be made carefully.
- Moving to the suburbs from the city has a number of advantages such as more space, a less stressful lifestyle, a lower cost of living, and increased safety.
- But running away from a large city brings about a few disadvantages as well – longer commute times, fewer social interactions, and higher home maintenance costs.
- Learn all the pros and cons of moving to the suburbs from the city in order to come up with an informed decision that you won’t regret later.
Moving to the suburbs from the city may be exactly what you need to feel truly happy again.
Without a doubt, living in the city has its share of advantages and charms. But the thing is that you may have become fed up with the major drawbacks of living in a big city such as
- high cost of living,
- heavy traffic and increased air pollution,
- constant noise all around you,
- limited space and overcrowding everywhere you go,
- stressful lifestyle,
- higher crime rates,
- lack of green spaces, and
- social isolation.
Moving to the suburbs may prove to be the ultimate answer to your big-city blues, the reasonable solution you’ve been looking for all those years. But it could also end up being a judgment error simply because not all people are cut out for suburban living.
Before you take such a big step, you just have to be well familiar with both the advantages and disadvantages of moving to the suburbs. After all, it’s the only way for you to make an informed decision that you won’t regret after the move is complete.
Moving from the city to the suburbs is a significant lifestyle change that comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
Check out the various pros and cons of moving to the suburbs from the city:
Pros of moving to the suburbs
Moving from the city to the suburbs can easily prove to be a masterstroke thanks to the following clear advantages of living in the suburbs:
1. Space and housing
Living in a big city will always mean having to put up with limited space, both for the living place inside your apartment and the outdoor space within the city itself.
While single people and young couples may be content with using a small apartment in the urban area, large families do tend to need more space so many families choose to move from the city to the suburbs where there’s enough space for everyone.
Chances are that you should be able to rent or purchase a house with a large yard in the suburbs for roughly the same price you’re paying for a small downtown apartment.
When you have children and a dog, moving to the suburbs is an ideal opportunity to enjoy a spacious house with plenty of rooms, sufficient storage space, and a big yard – a suburban haven where everyone will have as much personal space as they want… and need.
When I moved to the suburbs a few years ago, I was really happy about all the extra space I suddenly had, both inside and outside. I still remember all the fun I had with my lovely dog in the house yard, we used to play together for hours during the weekends. The additional breathing space one can get after moving to the suburbs is probably the best thing about the important decision to run away from the big city.
Moving With a Dog to a New Home
2. Environment and lifestyle
Moving to the suburbs means that your lifestyle is about to change. Depending on your background and mindset, the resulting lifestyle change can be either drastic or subtle. Or it may be somewhere in between, especially if you’ve lived in the suburbs of a big city before.
Generally speaking, living in the suburbs often means leading a less stressful life.
You’ll notice right away that the suburbs offer a quieter atmosphere – the crazy-loud, incessant noises of the large city will be gone in an instant and you surely won’t miss the angry car horns every 10 minutes or so.
Life in the suburbs will also offer you (much) lower pollution levels thanks to the much fewer cars in the streets and the presence of more green areas in and around the suburban area you’re about to move to.
For you, the proximity to nature may be enough to seal the deal, especially when there are plenty of excellent outdoor activities in the destination area.
3. Community and family life
You may have been forced to put up with some sort of social isolation while living in the big city. No matter where you go, you hardly ever see a friendly face. Despite being surrounded by people, city life can sometimes be rather isolating.
The good news is that moving to the suburbs is likely to make you feel less isolated because most suburban communities are fairly close-knit. The truth is that you’re about to become acquainted with most of the folks next door within the first few weeks after the move.
Some of the people you’re about to meet in the new community will even become long-life friends of yours.
It’s important to keep in mind that some schools in the suburbs can be much better than the ones in the city. Why? In densely populated cities, schools can become overcrowded, which in turn leads to strained resources and lower quality of service.
4. Cost of living
Another advantage of moving away from the city is that the cost of living in the suburbs is typically lower than the one in urban zones. That’s great news right there, isn’t it?
More often than not, housing costs in the suburbs are more affordable than in urban centers because there’s more land available there and there are fewer people, meaning that the lower population density leads to lower prices for both renting and buying property.
What’s more, suburban areas tend to have lower property taxes compared to big cities, partly due to the differences in municipal services. Also, the cost of amenities in the suburbs – parking, recreational facilities, etc. – may be lower compared to urban areas.
Overall, it’s safe to say that the price of groceries is typically lower in the suburbs compared to big cities – a fact you should welcome without asking too many questions, right?
5. Safety and security
You’ll be happy to learn that suburbs are perceived as safer than big cities for several good reasons.
First of all, suburban areas have lower population densities, meaning that there will be fewer opportunities for any crimes to occur, especially the types of crimes that are mostly associated with big cities such as pickpocketing, vandalism, and motor vehicle thefts.
Secondly, most suburbs have a stronger sense of community, meaning that people who live there will know their neighbors, and their neighbors will know their respective neighbors. The result is a more vigilant suburban community where any suspicious activities are spotted more easily and reported more readily.
And thirdly, big cities offer a higher level of anonymity – the large crowds there make it easier for criminals to do their illegal activities without being recognized. And that is exactly why the close-knit, everyone-knows-everyone-else suburban communities contribute to safer neighborhoods in general and lower crime rates.
Thank you for explaining that moving to the suburbs is a good option due to affordability. Personally, this is a big reason for me to consider it because I’m trying to move but also save money. I’ll have to look more into suburbs and single family homes.
Having grown up in a idyllic suburb 13 miles northwest of Boston, MA, I decided to move to the city from the suburbs when I was in my mid-20’s. To be truthful, I’ve lived in the city since my mid to late-20’s. Once I had a taste of city living, I have not wanted to move back to the suburbs or rural areas since, because it’s close to the movie theatres and other places that I like to patronize, plus I can walk to the bank, the grocery store, and the drug store, as well as the fish store which is about a 15 minute walk from my house. Also, public transportation is available to me in bad weather, or when I need to get to an appointment or do an errand in Boston.