Why is this even a poll? I challenge you to find a scenario outside of poor, working poor, or retired/empty nesters where living in the city makes financial sense over living in the county.

Last time I checked, not only are property taxes & insurance much costlier, but so are income taxes.

Likewise there isn't a one calculation fits all for determining when city life makes fiscal sense over county life.

It's a poll because it's a point of continual contention. (Some of the readers who've voted thus far have picked the "about the same" and "somewhat lower" options.) I'm especially interested in hearing from people who have lived in both the city and the 'burbs.

1. It cost to park at most Baltimore restaurants and shopping.
2. Property taxes are much higher.
3. Auto insurance is much higher.
4. What if you do not work downtown? Also, how does one transport the kids to rehearsals/practices/church? You must have a car!
5. Income taxes are higher.
6. The schools are poor, thus, private school raises the cost.
7. Even the health clubs in Baltimore are more expensive!

Interesting poll to determine the perception of the market. I had recently run this to determine monthly expenses if I was to move into the city (I am currently looking at buying a home). Overall, I found that *my* situation would require an additional $250-$350/month to live in the city. That does not include changes in income tax, gas (I would be working outside the city), or parking.

Private school is a must if you have kids and live in the city. I could see -albeit disagree- how auto expenses could be a wash with higher property taxes, but there is no suburban cost that would come close to the private school tuition that would run run at least $10K a child.

As Nick T. states, this depends on *my* situation ... living in the city is somewhat lower than the burbs (although, much lower at the moment because of gas prices, and I almost never drive). As a married couple with no kids, both working in the city only needing one car which we use generally once only on the weekends, it's cheaper in the city. Not to mention that both of us hate yardwork so we're saving on the cost of hiring someone to mow the lawn.

Our house in the City and my father-in-law's house in Columbia have the same market value. He was bragging about his low taxes, but my husband pointed out his garbage fee, his neighborhood fee, his Columbia Association fee... When we compared our all-inclusive taxes with his property taxes plus all the mandatory "fees"...guess what? He pays $40 a year more than we do! His car insurance is also more than ours because he has an big expensive car and a long commute, as opposed to our little city car and short commute. And when you factor in his gas costs compared to ours, living in the City is a bargain in terms of transportation!

As far as schools, ask the parents in Towson at their overcrowded schools how they like their suburban school districts. I know a couple of families that moved from the City to the Fort Garrison school district in Baltimore County, and found it so overcrowded and chaotic that they ended up sending their kids to private school anyway. And the MSA test scores at some of the vaunted Howard County and Baltimore County schools are lower than some of the Baltimore City public schools. Yes, there are bad City schools; no one denies that. But there are also very good public schools: Roland Park, Mount Washington, George Washington, Cecil, to name a few. Plus there are increasing options for charter school education in the City at City Neighbors, Patterson Charter School, Montessori Charter School, etc.

People should live wherever they like, but suburbanites shouldn't assume that the suburbs are automatically cheaper, have better schools, etc. It really depends on where in the City, where in the suburbs, where you work, etc.

The benefit of a short commute and being able to run home for an appointment or mid-day concert at school is worth paying a premium. What's the point of living in the burbs if you have to spend so much time and frustration in traffic to go to/from work? No thanks.

I have lived in both the city (rented in Fells Pt. and Canton) and the 'burbs (now own a home in Towson). After having lived in both places, I feel that the cost of city living was higher. First of all, the rent for all 3 places was higher than what I'm paying for my mortgage right now (luckily, I had a roommate to split the cost at all 3 places). Next, I have found that my BGE bills were considerably higher downtown then they are now and that is more than likely due to a combination of a roommate who liked to leave every light on and windows open as well as living in poorly insulated places. Additionally, I had to purchase a parking permit and a visitor pass (not required in the 'burbs); I had to pay higher auto insurance premiums just b/c I was in the city; I would fill up my car w/gas near where I work since it was considerably cheaper (it's about the same now in Towson as where I work); if I wanted to go out to Federal Hill or Mt. Vernon, I had to pay for a cab so I wouldn't lose my parking space (now I just drive and find on-street parking); at the time, there was one decent grocery store (Safeway; Shoppers wasn't yet around on Eastern Ave.) where prices were pretty high in my opinion (I now have cheaper alternatives such as Trader Joe's); there were incidental costs- one time I had to pay a tow truck $70 to tow my car to my parent's house since I knew and trusted the family mechanic we always used, as opposed to trying to find one downtown that I didn't know or trust, another time I had to make a trip to my auto dealership to purchase a radio antenna since mine had been stolen right off of my car (the only bad thing to ever happen to me while living downtown); alcohol sold at liquor stores seemed a little more expensive (at least they were at the liquor store on Broadway & Aliceanna), plus, you had to plan ahead for a party on a Sunday since liquor stores downtown are closed on Sundays; at the time, your only options for medical care were the overbooked ER's of the local hospitals, which can be pretty expensive, so you had to drive out to the county to a Patient First for minor things such as a tetanus shot (I've heard there's one at Bayview now, if I'm remembering correctly?). Even small, insignificant things like bagels were more expensive downtown- at The Daily Grind, prices increased to where a bagel w/o anything on it was up to $1/bagel when I moved out to the 'burbs (as a comparison, Einstein's still isn't up to a dollar for a bagel w/o anything on it). Those are just some of the things off the top of my head. I loved living downtown despite the higher costs and some of the inconveniences, but I'm happy in my suburban dwelling just over the city line.

I think it is hard to lump city vs. suburbs. There are some parts of the burbs that are more urban than city. Towson has more urban amenities than Guilford.

Likewise, what about border areas. Are there any benefits to living on the city side of Mount Washington that would make up for the property taxes difference?

I think that when people try and make a debate about city vs. burbs it ends up focusing on certain parts of the city, such as downtown or Mount Vernon, vs cul de sac developments in places like Carroll County. It really is far more complex than this.

Robert, that's a really good point -- certainly costs can range from suburban county to suburban county just as they can between various city neighborhoods. Thanks.