10 Cities Where Families Are Better Off Moving to the ‘Burbs (& 10 Where They’re Not)

City or Suburb?

Families have a million choices to make when deciding where to start their lives. Among the starkest is whether to live in the city or suburbs. Do they want their kids growing up on busy sidewalks or tree-lined cul-de-sacs? In a cozy apartment or a big old house? One of the most important factors in this decision is cost.

Analysts from Care.com and Zillow published a report breaking down the cost factors. The 2017 Cost of Living report looks at cities around the country and compares costs of living in the cities themselves and their surrounding suburbs.

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City Dwellers Spend More

In general, the report found that families in American cities spend an average $9,073 more on housing and childcare than counterparts in the suburbs. A big factor is the cost of childcare, which tends to be cheaper in the suburbs.

Suburban families also get more bang for their buck when it comes to housing, with costs per square foot typically lower than in cities. However, there are some places where living in a city can be cheaper than its corresponding suburb.

Whether you’re moving your family to the suburbs or the city, make sure you know where your finances stand, including your credit, as this will play a role in getting a mortgage. You can see two of your credit scores for free on Credit.com.

Check out our slideshow to see where the suburbs hold the best value over the city, and vice versa.

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10. Where the City Costs More: Boston

The cost of living in Boston is $8,076 more per year than in its suburbs.

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9. Where the City Costs More: Sacramento

The cost of living in Sacramento is $10,822 more per year than in its suburbs.

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8. Where the City Costs More: Seattle

The cost of living in Seattle is $11,376 more per year than in its suburbs.

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7. Where the City Costs More: Austin, Texas

The cost of living in Austin is $11,522 more per year than in its suburbs.

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6. Where the City Costs More: Atlanta

The cost of living in Atlanta is $12,557 per year more than in its suburbs.

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5. Where the City Costs More: San Francisco

The cost of living in San Francisco is $12,560 more per year than in its suburbs.

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4. Where the City Costs More: Washington, D.C.

The cost of living in Washington, D.C. is $12,832 more per year than in its suburbs.

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3. Where the City Costs More: Dallas

The cost of living in Dallas is $14,128 more per year than in its suburbs.

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2. Where the City Costs More: Chicago

The cost of living in Chicago is $18,472 more per year than in its suburbs.

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1. Where the City Costs More: New York City

The cost of living in New York City is $71,237 more per year than in its suburbs, the biggest disparity in the country.

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10. Where Suburbs Cost More: Pittsburgh

It’s $4,258 cheaper to live in Pittsburgh than it is to live in the surrounding suburbs.

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9. Where Suburbs Cost More: San Diego

It’s $4,555 cheaper to live in San Diego than it is to live in the surrounding suburbs.

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8. Where Suburbs Cost More: Cincinnati

It’s $5,514 cheaper to live in Cincinnati than it is to live in the surrounding suburbs.

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7. Where Suburbs Cost More: Phoenix

It’s $6,567 cheaper to live in Phoenix than it is to live in the surrounding suburbs.

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6. Where Suburbs Cost More: Providence, Rhode Island

It’s $6,974 cheaper to live in Providence than it is to live in the surrounding suburbs.

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5. Where Suburbs Cost More: Las Vegas

It’s $7,318 cheaper to live in Las Vegas than it is to live in the surrounding suburbs.

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4. Where Suburbs Cost More: Milwaukee

It’s $8,227 cheaper to live in Milwaukee than it is to live in the surrounding suburbs.

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3. Where Suburbs Cost More: Cleveland

It’s $9,034 cheaper to live in Cleveland than it is to live in the surrounding suburbs.

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2. Where Suburbs Cost More: Baltimore

It’s $10,790 cheaper to live in Baltimore than it is to live in the surrounding suburbs.

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1. Where Suburbs Cost More: Philadelphia

It’s $13,849 cheaper to live in Philadelphia than it is to live in the surrounding suburbs.

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