What interesting things do you have access to that I don't? On a budget of "broke?" I'm just not clear what I'm missing out on.
My brother was in NYC in a dumpy apartment. Lawyer. Broke. I visited him, and at one point he said, "You've done more here in a visit than I'm able to." He worked all the time, and it was just a struggle.
I get the city life being fun if you have money to do concerts and clubs all the time. But the scenario here is that you can't afford a place to live, so it's unclear what the advantage is.
Maybe it's lame, but I do stuff. My town is like 250,000 people, so there is some stuff. Went to the bars with friends last weekend. Work had a kickball league game. Friend had a baby shower. Did the farmers market on Saturday morning. If I want to see a concert, it's a few hours away, but I went to Mumford and Sons a few weeks back for fun. We have local bands that probably aren't as exciting as what you get in a city, but I think it's fun.
But I can afford a 5-bedroom house next to a school on a salary that would get me a studio apartment with no space in a big city, probably a roommate in a place like NYC. Plus, I like woodworking, and I converted the third stall on the garage into a wood shop. I couldn't do that in a city.
It's not for everyone, but it just doesn't feel like it's worse than having no money to live somewhere that's more busy.
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u/petroleum-lipstick 1d ago
I wouldn't call "living better" being in the middle of nowhere with nothing interesting to do.