Advantages and disadvantages of living in the city center

Some people say that downtown is the best place to live. One has easy access to all the conveniences of life. Additionally, city centers are the places where all business, educational, official and commercial activity centers are located. Travel time is nothing compared to living in the suburbs. However, there are also some big drawbacks to living in the city center. The following lines would give you a great comparison in this regard.

Advantages

The biggest advantage of living in the center of a city is the easy access to all business, commercial and educational offices. The city centers are planned in such a way that they become the axis of everything related to the commercial, official or educational field. Most universities and colleges are located in the city center and students from the suburbs have to travel long distances to reach their alma mater. Similarly, professionals have to take public or private transportation to get to the city center. Monthly public transport fares, despite all the discounts, are quite expensive these days.

In contrast, people who live in the city center do not have to incur transportation costs. In most cases, all famous buildings, business centers and universities are within walking distance. There are no expenses in transportation costs and time lost in traveling. Also, one can save money on meal costs as one can simply return home to eat during lunch breaks. People from the suburbs are unlucky in this regard. They have to eat lunch on pushcarts or in restaurants and this involves a great expense, even if the rates are affordable. Monthly expenses on food bills are enough to make a big dent in your monthly budget.

Disadvantages

There are also many disadvantages to living in the center of a city. First of all, there is no sense of privacy as the city center remains active until late at night. Second, house rents are through the roof in the city center. Everyone wants to live there and the owners take full advantage of this phenomenon. Another drawback to living in the center of a city is the lack of suburban activities and the neighborhood attitude that prevails in the suburbs. There are hardly any parks and open spaces where you can breathe fresh air. In most cases, the environment is polluted by thousands of cars driving through the streets and alleys. Similarly, the proportion of trees and shrubs is much lower than that of a typical suburb which is usually green and pollution-free.

There is also a lack of community in the center of the city, as people go about their own business and pay no attention to their neighbors and friends. Another negative point of living in the city center is the higher prices of basic products. Compared to the suburbs, which are generally close to farmers’ markets; City centers are cramped places with high property rents. Stores often pass that high price on to their customers.