The Hidden Costs of City Living

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I thought of one.....dry cleaning! I don't have the figures but I pay more for dry cleaning in NH than I did in NYC. And it's not done on site, so there's no next day turnaround.
While I may have had less disposable income in the city, I also spent less of it. Turns out that when you go to the city parks (or invest in the zoo/museum membership that you actually use), you're not going to the mall because you're bored or to the movies because it's raining.
As for listening to books on tape in the car on my ride to/from work....my sound system is pretty antiquated. I only have a tape deck which skips a lot and I'm too cheap to fix it.

veronica of NH 6:46PM November 17, 2010

I urge anyone reading this article to do further research on studies on urban living. The ULI Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing is a great resource and has produced a number of reports for several metro centers around the United States in the past few years.
http://www.uli.org/ResearchAndPublications/TerwilligerCenterforWorkforceHousing.aspx

Adrianne of CA 7:16PM November 16, 2010

I'm only basing this off my own experience, but I'm convinced that some things are cheaper and better in cities than in rural areas because of competition. In a small town that only has one Italian restaurant, say, that restaurant can get away with charging high prices for poor food and service, and people will go there anyway, because they're the only game in town. In a larger city with several such restaurants, each has the incentive to do better.
If you like to travel, that can also be cheaper and easier (more direct flights) if you live in a major metropolitan area.

Johanna of MD 12:05PM November 16, 2010

Hi Becky,
I am sorry you did not find this article useful. I like to highlight readers' comments, especially when they might be helpful to other people. I'll work on getting some data for you though!
-Kimberly Palmer
And to Veronica- thank you for sharing your experience with cars! The time issue is a big one. I wonder if there is some way to make good use of the car time, such as getting out books on tape from the library...

Kimberly Palmer of DC 11:37AM November 16, 2010

Are you kidding me? No data? No research? No examples? If this what it takes to write an article for US News, sign me up. I read this because I thought I could learn something or gain a new perspective and instead I ramblings that aren't even well thought out.

Becky of WI 10:01AM November 16, 2010

Thanks for the mention in the article. I'm glad I could add positively to the conversation. I think this article is a great expansion on the city living topic from your previous article. Articles like this help the reader have the information they need to make the decision that is best for them. There is no "right" answer when it comes to financial decisions, so your best bet is to arm yourself with all the information you can find and then determine what fits your particular situation.
Veronica, something you might consider is podcasts. A search of the iTunes podcast section will yield podcasts for every topic imaginable. You can download these and listen to them on your commute. Most podcast episodes should be able to be completed between your drive in and drive home each day. It has been said that a person can earn the equivalent of a Masters Degree by utilizing their commute time wisely throughout their career so you are definitely right in wanting to make the best use of your time.

Don Current of IN 8:33AM November 16, 2010

I live and work in southern NH...have a car commute that is a couple miles longer than my old subway commute from Brooklyn to Manhattan and it takes takes half as long. Upside...I don't get out of bed til almost 8, and usually don't leave til 845 to be in the office by 9. Downside, my commutes are wasted time. Yes it's only 15 to 20 minutes in my car, but it's 15 to 20 minutes I can't do something else like read. I work in a small city by my standards...but I work downtown, which means I can't usually park for free. Sure the parking is not obscenely expensive, but it's also not reimbursed by the agency and the city doesn't hand out parking receipts. And there's always the scramble for quarters in the morning...or when you underestimate how long you'll need the meter and have to play chicken with the meter reader. Losing that race costs 10 bucks (which increases exponentially if unpaid after 5 days). Even worse than underestimating, is overestimating because the meters don't give refunds.
I actually did the math...my car insurance + gas + parking equals my public transportation costs when I lived in the city. Sure it took longer to get places, but I also read more and did the crossword puzzles more often.
I'm not sure I want to go BACK to the city, but I would love a more urban environment where I could take public transportation for a 10 mile commute.

veronica of NH 10:05PM November 15, 2010