# Financially which is better - small town or large city?



## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

I've posted similar posts in the past and still am confused. 

I'm trying to figure out which is financially better (personally better is subjective isn't it?) - a) living in a larger city where wages are higher, but that means both parents working and paying for daycare, but does not necessarily require vehicle ownership (or at least avoiding having two cars) and the strong possibility of being able to rent out part of your home (rooms or a granny suite) with ease. Option b) is to live in a smaller town where one could pay cash for a modest home and live off one income.

Has anyone else struggled with this? Our personal preference is larger city, which gives me more work options, houses generally sell easier (we will be selling again in two or three years) and more ammenities in general. But I am trying to determine financially which is advantageous....!


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

You are assuming the price of real estate will vary significantly by location - which may or may not be true. 

Another option (for what it's worth) is to keep housing costs low by renting - if you do indeed want to live in a big city. And *especially* if you will be selling before 5 years have elapsed. 

I lived on a farm in rural eastern Ontario for a decade, and now I live in Canada's biggest city, so I have experience with both situations!


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

It all depends on work. Do you have the sort of job which is typically only found in a large city? Live where your work is.

For quality of life, the rural lifestyle can't be beat. Cities have way too many social and transportation problems. Small towns are where it's at in my opinion. How nice to be able to breathe fresh air and not have to worry about traffic, parking, construction and constant fire engines.

Will you be able to go to Tim Horton's and Wal Mart in this type of town? No. You'll need to drive in to the city for that stuff.

And if you want to live close to a city, you may end up looking at a bedroom community which can be very costly but don't have many of the social problems found in cities.


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## Square Root (Jan 30, 2010)

We worked in Toronto but now live in Canmore. Toronto is still a nice place to visit...but Canmore is fantasic. Going for a nice bike ride to Banff in a few minutes. If you can afford it here it is a wonderful lifestyle.


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## Riff Raff (Sep 5, 2010)

Define "large" and "small".

Large to me is Toronto
Small to me is Peterborough
Tiny to me is Bath


As an ON govt employee I have the option to move to T.O. where there are more opportunities internally. However, while people love to think govt employees are filthy rich, we're far from it. Middle class (and happy about that). Thing is, we choose to stay in Peterborough. Why? Pretty much real estate and what we deem to be quality of life. My private sector cousin has an older house in a great neighbourhood in T.O., and we have a very similiar house in a great spot in Ptbo. They paid 2.5x as much for theirs and they still need to TTC to work whereas we walk 10 minutes to our office. 

Would I move to Bath if our office moved due to RE prices? Unlikely if I had the choice - quality of life also includes entertainment and amenities.


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## stephenheath (Apr 3, 2009)

The problem with living in a small town is that your assets accumulate at a lower level which is probably more than plenty to live in the small town, but aren't enough to move to a big town during retirement... in the reverse, if you build up assets with a high income, even though expenses are higher, when it comes time to liquidate the assets you'll have more options as to where to go.

That's assuming, of course, that the salary premium of the big city is equal to or greater than the additional costs for a similar job... some jobs don't pay well no matter where you are.


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## crazyjackcsa (Aug 8, 2010)

Strictly from a financial standpoint, if you can get a "big town" job, in a small town setting, that's the best bet. Actually, if you can get a good job in a economically depressed area, that's best. For instance. My wife an I have a have a combined salary of only60ka year. But in the town I live in, $165,000 will buy you a 2800 square foot home on a half acre within view of Lake Erie. People here who can make 100k a year (municipal employees and the like) can really live like kings.


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

More details: All moving costs would be covered as well as the costs incurred to sell/buy a home. If we end up in a larger city we will get an allowance, which is taxable and sometimes makes a big difference (ie Toronto) or not (ie Halifax).

It's difficult to leave the personal preferences out, but I'm trying in order to get a good picture if it's financially better.

My husband will make the same wherever he goes, not huge salary, about $57K/yr which may go up a K or two next year. If I work in a reasonably sized city (Winnipeg, Halifax for instance) I make in the low 40's for income. If we end up in small town (Trenton or Petawawa for example) chances are slim to none I would get anything in my field of work, but housing costs are a lot cheaper than in Halifax (we're talking core of Halifax, near Dal).

Hopefully this information will help people give me some advice. Sometimes I wonder if I even know what I'm asking!!


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

The lower cost of living in smaller centers is related to the corresponding lack of jobs in those centers. So if you're saying your chances of finding work there are slim to none, that lowers the $ appeal of living in such places, even if all the other factors as I mentioned above are better. Ask yourself if the loss of your income is worth it and sustainable to the household. Cost and benefits.


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## onomatopoeia (Apr 8, 2009)

sounds like addy has a military spouse!

I just moved from halifax to trenton - what i can say is that housing is cheaper here. my salary remained the same, my wifes is around the same so we live a little nicer now. 

Living in a small town has allowed us to be a 10 minute walk to downtown and the grocery store. 

As people have mentioned, you lose out on ameneties in a small town, but what you generally gain is space and openess. If the salary stays the same, i'd say small town is better. if salary increases enough, large city is probably better


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## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

I'd say the smallest town you can still get a job in would be the best


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## GeniusBoy27 (Jun 11, 2010)

I think it's very difficult to answer, because the reality is that the 2 income situation is generally better than 1, even accounting for living costs. However, I think there are so many variable factors: family, lifestyle, etc. that it makes it difficult to point out personal preference.

My wife is an urbanite. You stick her in rural Canada and every day of my life I wouldn't be hearing the end of it. For me, I'm in a subspeciality in medicine that confines me to an academic teaching centre. Moving to a rural area may be profitable, but I wouldn't be using my subspecialty skills. So there are a lot of factors that tie us to a city.

At the end of the day, on a pure financial basis, it also depends on the potential upside and gains. But to me, living in a city is about the personal choices that are most acceptable.


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## hystat (Jun 18, 2010)

It is dependent on your career- there aren't many varied work opportunities outside urban areas.
I live in a hamlet of 1000, 10 minutes to work in a town of 20,000. 
I'm a unionized employee (OPSEU) so I get paid the same here as someone doing the same job in downtown Toronto.

I'll guarantee you my standard of living is *much *higher...

I know I do my job better than when I worked in the megacity. My head is clearer. I feel I have many more recreational options. 
I live in a setting that just doesn't exist in the city. 

I have a Loblaws and several Tim Hortons within 5 minutes of home or work if I chose to go to one. 

I can be in Toronto for a concert or show in 90 minutes.


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## Max (Apr 4, 2009)

I just moved from small town to big city (with the same company) and financially it has been very good move. Renting is definitely the way to go to avoid inflated real estate prices. Apartment downtown can be more expensive, but avoiding the commute is one of the things I think is worth the extra money. Being within walking distance of work saves on car insurance, gas, parking, etc... to make up for the price difference. Overall, my cost of living is roughly the same, but I traded my house for a small apartment.

As far as quality of life, that all depends on what you like to do. I spent a month in a hotel eating out at different restaurants every day (maybe why I am a cheap tipper). This would not be possible in the small town I came from.

If you are set on buying a house and raising a family, the city can be expensive.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

stephenheath said:


> The problem with living in a small town is that your assets accumulate at a lower level which is probably more than plenty to live in the small town, but aren't enough to move to a big town during retirement... in the reverse, if you build up assets with a high income, even though expenses are higher, when it comes time to liquidate the assets you'll have more options as to where to go.
> 
> That's assuming, of course, that the salary premium of the big city is equal to or greater than the additional costs for a similar job... some jobs don't pay well no matter where you are.


I live in a city of 150k and houses are at least 5x cheaper than Toronto. I highly doubt I could make 5x the salary I make now, in fact a very small % in Toronto do. I am the same as addy, and if I had to move to a big city I would be compensated for the cost of living but it would certainly not be multiples of my salary (more like 25% at best). Having a mortgage 5x bigger or more means paying far more CMHC insurance and mortgage interest. I couldn't care less that someone in a big city is "accumulating" more RE assets (read: RE bubble) when I can bank the money I save on interest

The region I live in does have one of the highest income-RE ratio in the world and is also know for some of the best night life in the country. I can walk to the bars, and I can do whatever outdoor activity I want from my backyard (open public land) and there are even trail systems to cross private land. My salary is about the same wherever, but a spouse making min wage (and tips) here would probably be a better situation than making average in TO with the added expenses

Income and RE aside, I can be to work in 5 minutes flat if I catch the green lights and I even pass a Timmies. With construction and accidents I imagine a big city resident can spend like 10% of your life commuting! 10% of your LIFE. I spend this time on leisure activities outside almost everyday if not catching up on household chores

The smaller the city the better imo. If I could I would live in a rural area where I know and trust my neighbors but a "small" town of 100-150k is a nice compromise to me. Maybe I am missing the allure since I am from the country but visiting the big cities from time to time is more than enough for me.

I could go on about pollution, crime, water, noise, space etc but I digress


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

Big cities offer many more alternatives, including employment choices. Working for life for a single employer did not appeal to me. I have lived in Sarnia and London, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver. Small is great but it tends to limit your outlook.

Also my friends in Sarnia have found that their children have moved away in search of careers. They have now retired in the same home they bought in 1969 so their housing costs have been much less than ours. But our net worth is higher than theirs and we no longer own in a big city. Sold in Toronto and now rent in Vancouver and own in PV.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

Someone in a big city is forced to invest more in RE and luckily for you it boomed. How much further can the income-RE ratio be stretched in the big cities? Who knows

Someone living in a smaller town is likely to spend more money on something else rather than invest it (if they don't have a $500k mortgage payment to make they probably blow it on something else). If they banked/invested the money they would spend in a big city, they should also have a high net worth. What if your friends in Sarnia pretended they had a huge mortgage and bought REITs during the same period

Children move away from their parents everywhere. They get to see the world and can still visit about as much as most who live in the same city

I would love to live in the same house for 20-30 years but I would also not want to do the same job. Even if you work for the same company there should be career progression if you want it. I can't imagine companies in big cities are valuing their HR enough if people are changing companies so often to progress


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

It's not just about money, of course. I lived in rural areas most of my life because I love nature, am a birder and amateur botanist, and could have all the free entertainment I'd ever want simply by stepping out my back door and going for a walk. Plus I had a garden, a canoe, and a big network of friends, so I was just as busy as I've ever been living in a city. Cities always seemed incredibly boring to me; it took me a long time to get used to life in a big city and I was miserable here for the first four years or so.

In contrast, some people need a big city and all its choices in order to be happy; they'd be bored out of their skulls in a small town or out in the country. That's fine too -- you just have to know yourself and what makes you content.

There's also the health factor. I was just reading about a study that found that people who live in compact, walkable urban neighbourhoods drive 30-40 percent less than people who live in dispersed areas, are more than twice as likely to get the recommended daily 30 minutes or more of physical activity, and weigh 10 pounds less on average than people who live in dispersed areas such as rural or small towns.


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

brad said:


> There's also the health factor. I was just reading about a study that found that people who live in compact, walkable urban neighbourhoods drive 30-40 percent less than people who live in dispersed areas, are more than twice as likely to get the recommended daily 30 minutes or more of physical activity, and weigh 10 pounds less on average than people who live in dispersed areas such as rural or small towns.


I agree with that, moving from Vancouver to Winnipeg was a huge eye opener... the women here are much.more.hefty.!!

I prefer large urban living - I really enjoy walking out my door, walking 5 or 10 mins and picking up some organic milk at the health food store, walking another few minutes and picking up fruit and veggies from a small independant. Or walking 10 mins to church or to a community centre or public library (still can in a small town but chances are way less you could walk to ALL these places).

Financially, in general larger cities you pay more tax (not always though!) and the property is more expensive. How about these considerations:

* city, most likely hire taxes due to higher RE
* city, extra expense of additional interest you would pay on a higher mortgage
*city, higher second income your spouse could bring in
* city, strong possibility we could easily rent out a room or two to students
* city, (in our case) small "bonus" for higher cost of living - for some it would mean a higher income depending on employer
* smaller town, strong possibility of being able to pay cash for a modest house
* smaller town, spouse still has the option to work (just for less $ likely)


Honestly I really like the idea of having a house paid for... which would mean small town living. But then I get totally bored in a small towns.


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

>still can in a small town but chances are way less you could walk to ALL these places

Not sure I agree. Most small towns have a main business district on (you guessed it) Main Street. Ever been to Beausejour? Everything is on main street and you can walk the whole thing across in probably 15 minutes. 

The issue is more of desire. I for one don't want to walk all the way across town carrying several bags of heavy groceries. If you just need a couple of items to finish off a recipe then it's great being able to walk nearby but when you've got a list chances are you'll want to drive to the store. But nothing says you can't park centrally to your places and just walk to each, put the stuff in the car, walk to the next etc. That's what I do.

>But then I get totally bored in a small towns. 

I don't get this. What is it that big cities have (which small towns lack) that keeps you from getting bored? Have you lived or spent much time in a small town?


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

the-royal-mail said:


> >still can in a small town but chances are way less you could walk to ALL these places
> 
> Not sure I agree. Most small towns have a main business district on (you guessed it) Main Street. Ever been to Beausejour? Everything is on main street and you can walk the whole thing across in probably 15 minutes.


I've been to Beausejour. I wasn't that impressed with the downtown, it had a few small stores but certainly not the selection you would find in larger centres. And unfortunately this is a reality of small town living, there isn't the customer base or demand for many speciality stores. It's a factor (on the personal vs financial side) that I have to consider.



the-royal-mail said:


> >But then I get totally bored in a small towns.
> 
> I don't get this. What is it that big cities have (which small towns lack) that keeps you from getting bored? Have you lived or spent much time in a small town?


Yes. Over twenty years in a town with less than 10,000 residents. I much much prefer Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

Renting to students is very possible in London, Kingston and Waterloo. I consider those to be smaller towns.

The boredom factor boils down to choices. Live theatre, concerts, even movies playing longer, sports, restaurants, especially ethnic choices, car shows, exhibitions...


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

kcowan said:


> The boredom factor boils down to choices. Live theatre, concerts, even movies playing longer, sports, restaurants, especially ethnic choices, car shows, exhibitions...


Only if you're interested in those things. I've lived in Montreal for eight years now and during that time we've seen five movies, three concerts, one opera, and gone to two or three museum exhibitions. On the other hand we've eaten at some fine restaurants and I love the ability to find a wide range of ethnic groceries. I also love the fact that I rarely have to drive my car anywhere. But the standard attractions of city life really don't interest me. But I'm not bored here, not by a long shot.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

hey! Don't be hatin' on cities. I live in a very vibrant neighbourhood in Canada's largest city, bike to work every day, and my kids attend an alternative public school on my street where the curriculum is delivered primarily outdoors. (They are all at a salmon run today on the Humber River.) 

I have a large garden where I spend a lot of time, and I suspect my kids' knowledge of their local natural environment and their capacity to identify bird and plant species by name rivals or surpasses the "average" rural kid's capacity. (One of my kids in particular likes to go to "the ravine" as her preferred outdoor activity.)

We have a very small-town vibe on my street and in my neighbourhood. No concrete jungle for me and mine!


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

MoneyGal said:


> We have a very small-town vibe on my street and in my neighbourhood. No concrete jungle for me and mine!


Same here, where we live now! Right at the edge of one of the city's largest parks, right on the bike path, but there's a bus stop at the end of my street and I can be on the Metro in 7 minutes. But I also have pileated woodpeckers on the trees outside my window and occasionally see peregrine falcons and merlins. Best of both worlds, and I'm finally loving it here.

I think cities attract people for different reasons; I just happen to have very little interest in night life, pop culture, movies, etc., which are the standard reasons most people cite for living in a city.


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

People go where the jobs are, period.

If all the jobs were spread out and located in the thousands of beautiful, small towns across this country, do you seriously think anyone would choose to crowd into such a confined space with no parking, constant fire engine sound, polllution, smog and traffic?

Pop culture and movies are done via download or DVDs in the living room. Night life can be done anywhere by simply having your friends visit. Sports are abundant everywhere. Most small towns have their own hockey arena and all you need for a good soccer games are other kids from the area. As far as ethnic foods and stores, those are directly related to the immigrants in a given area. Lots of small towns across the prairies have chinese restaurants for example.

I've lived in numerous different sizes of communities in my life and as far as quality of life goes, the smaller, the better and the bigger, the worst.

It really depends at what stage of life you are at.


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

the-royal-mail said:


> People go where the jobs are, period.
> If all the jobs were spread out and located in the thousands of beautiful, small towns across this country, do you seriously think anyone would choose to crowd into such a confined space with no parking, constant fire engine sound, polllution, smog and traffic?


Even that's not necessarily true. I have a portable job; I've been working from home since 1994, first in Vermont and now in Montreal. Quite a few of my coworkers have portable jobs as well; we can work anywhere, we just need an internet connection and telephone. 

I took my job with me and moved here to live with my girlfriend. It's true that a big city wouldn't have been my first choice but now that I'm settled in I think I'd find it hard to leave. I like the diversity of cultures here, which is something I'd never experienced in a small town or out in the country. And I really like not needing my car. I drove 40,000 km/year in Vermont; here I drive less than 10,000 km/year and 90% of those kilometers are on trips to the US to visit family and friends.

You're right about the smog, though. Ugh.


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## stephenheath (Apr 3, 2009)

mode3sour said:


> I live in a city of 150k and houses are at least 5x cheaper than Toronto. I highly doubt I could make 5x the salary I make now, in fact a very small % in Toronto do. I am the same as addy, and if I had to move to a big city I would be compensated for the cost of living but it would certainly not be multiples of my salary (more like 25% at best). Having a mortgage 5x bigger or more means paying far more CMHC insurance and mortgage interest. I couldn't care less that someone in a big city is "accumulating" more RE assets (read: RE bubble) when I can bank the money I save on interest
> 
> The region I live in does have one of the highest income-RE ratio in the world and is also know for some of the best night life in the country. I can walk to the bars, and I can do whatever outdoor activity I want from my backyard (open public land) and there are even trail systems to cross private land. My salary is about the same wherever, but a spouse making min wage (and tips) here would probably be a better situation than making average in TO with the added expenses
> 
> ...


I agree with you about the real estate bubble... but rental rates are more reasonable and comparable. If your salary is 100k in the city or 60k in the small town, and you put 20% of your salary to retirement... the guy with the 100k is going to have more savings, and thus, more options, when he retires. Sure, the 60k guy may have an equally good life, there's lots more things to consider than just the dollars as you mentioned.... and the 60k guy can sacrifice a little more to save extra if that's important to him.

The only other danger with a small town is that employment can dry up suddenly... Smiths Falls is hurting that way ever since Hershey's closed down, lots of people had to move away, no jobs for lots of young people so crime is up, and now people in town are sometimes commuting to Ottawa for jobs.

(Full disclosure: I work in a big city (Mississauga) but live in what was a small town (Milton) but over the 30 years I've been living here has become a medium sized town. I definately prefer the small town, but hate commuting, so I'm right in the middle on what is best


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## Riff Raff (Sep 5, 2010)

kcowan said:


> Renting to students is very possible in London, Kingston and Waterloo. I consider those to be smaller towns.
> 
> The boredom factor boils down to choices. Live theatre, concerts, even movies playing longer, sports, restaurants, especially ethnic choices, car shows, exhibitions...



I like Peterborough a ton. It's small and if I want to go to the "city" it is only 90 mins away to catch a game or concert. 90 mins is like some people's commute from one side of the GTA to the other!


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

It's interesting how everyone prefers something different, and how emotions really play into it. This is the main reason why it's so difficult to make a decision if you're trying to base it only (or at least mostly) on financial benefits.


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## Riff Raff (Sep 5, 2010)

Addy said:


> It's interesting how everyone prefers something different, and how emotions really play into it. This is the main reason why it's so difficult to make a decision if you're trying to base it only (or at least mostly) on financial benefits.


If i'm going to be a public servant and my wife is one too - our upward mobility in salary is limited. As such I find living in a small centre much more affordable as less of my income is focused on RE and given a smaller mortgage I end up paying much less interest to the bank. That saved money is invested elsewhere (my family, investments, pleasure).

From a purely financial perspective lower cost of living means more $$ in my pocket. I can't find lower cost of living in the GTA compared to where I currently live.

(trying to take "emotion" out of it)


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

Riff Raff said:


> If i'm going to be a public servant and my wife is one too - our upward mobility in salary is limited.


True but why would you accept that as fate?


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

Yea it's a horrible fate. Having to settle for small 3 or 4% salary increases and nothing to compete for. The rat race sounds exciting

Anyways I'm off to Iceland to do the same old job in a few weeks. Right after my free dental and physio appts. Don't know when I'll find the time to use all my vacation days


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

Riff Raff said:


> If i'm going to be a public servant and my wife is one too - our upward mobility in salary is limited. As such I find living in a small centre much more affordable as less of my income is focused on RE and given a smaller mortgage I end up paying much less interest to the bank. That saved money is invested elsewhere (my family, investments, pleasure).
> 
> From a purely financial perspective lower cost of living means more $$ in my pocket. I can't find lower cost of living in the GTA compared to where I currently live.
> 
> (trying to take "emotion" out of it)


I think in general you're bang on - right now with lower interest rates for mortgages it may not be AS big an issue, but certainly if we hit 18% or more like we did in the last 25 yrs or so it would be different. Living with a large mortgage at 18% could be very painful, so lower RE costs in a smaller town would be ideal, so much so I'm not even sure if there would be any question about it.


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## wheel (Jun 22, 2010)

As noted, you should question some of your assumptions. Toronto and Vancouver are outliers in terms of real estate pricing. Otherwise, I don't think you can generalize that housing prices are lower in smaller towns. It might be the case in more remote towns, not not neccessarily smaller towns.

Same is true with wages. I don't think that it's neccessarily true that you can earn more in Toronto than you can in Peterborough. In fact, I've seen niche studies where this was shown not to be the case. Electricians earn what electricians earn. Postal workers earn what postal workers earn. And so on.

I live in a small town of about 6K people. Because we're close to a city of about 300K, housing prices here are every bit what they are in the city, if you can even find one - we had a hard time finding a house 15 years ago and it's still the same today. Except here I also get a 70 foot lot and wooded back yard. And I certainly don't earn any less than I would living in the city.

Personally I chose this lifestyle deliberately so my recommendation would be hands down, go down to one income. My wife and I work from home, I've been at home for a decade. The quality of life we have is not even in the same world as what we had when we both worked full time. For example, when kids come home from school, you've got about 5 minutes to find out how their day went before the only answer you'll get is 'fine'.

I would also suggest you consider exactly how much you are actually giving up by going down to one income. Something like the first $15,000 of income is pretty much a wash working vs. not working. Then look at your numbers after tax not before. Making $40K? The first $10-$15K are a wash tax wise if I recall. so your take home lets say it's $18-20K. So need to cut like $1500 per month. vehicle does a lot of that. So do work clothes, and changes in cooking, and a ton of other expenses like eating lunches out at work - or at home for those crazy days when eveyrone's too busy. When it's all said and done I think you'll find that one income costs a lot less than you think.


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

I think we need to be clear about something. I think to refer to any non-rural area with a population of more than 20,000 people as a town is absurd. Places that are measured in the tens of hundreds of thousands and up are cities. Period. Below that yes they are towns but I don't think you can refer to anything more than 5-6K as a "small" town.

"Small town" is generally measured in the dozens or hundreds of people up to a max of a few thousand.


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## jamesbe (May 8, 2010)

This is why I like Ottawa, it's not too large to cause 2 hours commutes and not too small either.

I have a 20 min commute, my new place is also a 20 min commute but has 2 acres of land and is "in the country" yet I'm only 20 min from work, 35 min from downtown.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

If we are reconsidering our assumptions, I am going to suggest that this conversation is entirely time-bound, as well. 

I bought my current house in Toronto 10 years ago for roughly $200K. This house would sell for roughly $450K now. Together with my spouse, I had a very significant downpayment because we were beyond our 20s when we bought. 

So by the standards of the *current* conversation in this thread, we bought a "cheap" house at a "late" (or "later") stage of life. 

I know Toronto house prices are very different now than they were, but ... that's neither here nor there with respect to the size of the city.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

jamesbe said:


> This is why I like Ottawa, it's not too large to cause 2 hours commutes and not too small either.
> 
> I have a 20 min commute, my new place is also a 20 min commute but has 2 acres of land and is "in the country" yet I'm only 20 min from work, 35 min from downtown.


Yeah, I lived in North Gower for a decade before moving to Toronto.


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## martinv (Apr 30, 2009)

That is why I like the small villages in Baja, my commute to Adelita's taco stand is a two minute walk.
Just saw the fisherman land with their Dorado and Wahoo so in a little while I will wander down and have a fresh fish taco or two for 15 pesos or $1.25 each including the salsa and fried chiles!
Just having fun here but it is true.


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## Sherlock (Apr 18, 2010)

I moved to Toronto because I found a good job here, but I hate the big city. If I could find a good job in my field (software development) in a small town I'd move in an instant, even if I had to take a pay cut.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

martinv said:


> That is why I like the small villages in Baja, my commute to Adelita's taco stand is a two minute walk.
> Just saw the fisherman land with their Dorado and Wahoo so in a little while I will wander down and have a fresh fish taco or two for 15 pesos or $1.25 each including the salsa and fried chiles!
> Just having fun here but it is true.


All winter we live in a town of 350,000 and with the current tourists scared, the winter population is half what it used to be. We walk or bus to nearly everything. We only use the car for out of town travel and grocery stockups. (PV MX).

(Currently in Lucerne Switzerland.)


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## steve41 (Apr 18, 2009)

If population (800 in winter) qualifies as a small town. then I'm here baby!

I have high speed internet access for the same price I had in the city, my car insurance and property taxes are a fraction of what it cost in the city, haircuts ... half price, gas cheaper. Because it is 8 KMs to drive to the store, I only do it 2-3 times a week.

I can conduct business (all web-based) in exactly the same way I could in the big smoke... and my users don't notice any difference.

Small town all the way!!!


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## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

I grew up in a small town in Northern Ontario, I miss swimming in a lake dreadfully, I used to walk across Hwy 11 and go for a swim. Awesome.

I don't miss nosy dysfunctional neighbours. 

And unfortunately there are zero jobs there certainly in property management. There's not even one three story building


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