Many people might dream of a life outside of the rat race of a busy, urban environment, looking forward to the fresher, cleaner air, wide open spaces, and better mental health. These are all great positives to escaping from the city. However, rural living doesn’t come without complications of its own. Here are some of the points that are worth considering before committing to rural life in the countryside.
Lack of Public Transport
In rural areas, it is quite necessary to have your own means of transport since there will be minimal opportunity for catching a bus or hailing a cab to get you to your destination. This means that you must factor in driving lessons and a car (plus all the other costs that this entails) into your budget. It is an extra cost to consider when moving into the countryside, but you’ll be saving on all of those cab fares and conveniently delivered food, so having your own transport can possibly work out to be more cost-effective in the long-term.
Further Travel for Entertainment
In rural areas, you are less likely to be going to the cinema or bowling with your friends on a weekly basis because these leisure activities will be much further to reach. Hopefully, you will have other ways of keeping yourselves entertained while being more isolated, such as running a farm or taking nice long hikes. It can be sometimes taken as a positive to be further away from the costly activities that cities have to offer and replacing it with getting closer to nature, but it’s a point to consider.
More Extreme Weather Conditions
In the city, tall buildings are in close proximity with one another, affecting the general pattern of wind speeds because of the forces of friction, whereas, in wide-open spaces such as those found in rural living areas, the wind can pick up speed much faster and be more damaging. Therefore, it is worth considering a home insurance policy that covers damage to your house by wind or storms and getting to know a good construction company, if the worst should happen.
Less Job Opportunities
In rural areas, you may notice a lack of diversity in the job market which might restrict your next career move and possibly affect your finances. On the other hand, working in a rural area, you will become part of a small community much quicker than in a larger urban area and are more likely to be made to feel welcome. Life in a rural area isn’t so much about the ambitious, career-focused life, it is much more about keeping calmer and working to live, rather than living to work, for much better mental health.
Considering all of the points above, you might now be able to make a better judgment as to whether living in a rural area is the right choice for you or not. Many of the points against rural living are the points that make life in the city look positive and vice versa, so consider what you are missing now and whether they are enough to make you leave for a lush life in the countryside.
