By Clare Trapasso | Realtor.com
Forget the conventional wisdom about the glamorous life in the big city. It turns out the majority of renters are happier in smaller cities and suburbs than in the concrete jungles of the nation’s largest metropolises. Who knew?
In fact, renters were the happiest in the upscale community of Scottsdale, AZ, just outside Phoenix, according to a recent report from rental website Apartment List. The median rent of a one-bedroom unit in the sunny, warm city was an affordable $1,030 as of June 1, according to the site.
(The website surveyed 45,000 renters who ranked their respective cities on 11 factors, which included affordability, job and career opportunities, and recreational activities. It also threw in a few potential pain points such as commute time, taxes, and public transit. Nearly 170 cities, all of which needed to have at least 30 responses from renters, were included. Only responses from renters who lived on their own or with roommates—not Mom and Dad—were factored in.)
