The great debate: City vs. suburbs

In movies and on TV, city life is as glamorous as it gets. But many people who have made the move to a bigger city know the stars can fade from your eyes soon after seeing the price of housing. Still, the convenience, opportunities and energy offered by urban living often make up for expensive real estate. When it comes time to buying, though, the suburbs can start to look nice as you compare prices, sizes and how much space your money can buy outside the city proper.

It’s simple: You can get a lot more bang for your buck. The average price per square foot tends to be lower in suburban areas compared to their nearby cities, meaning you can get a bigger home and more space for the same as what you’d pay in the city. For current or hopeful families, folks who crave a yard and outdoor space or anyone who wants some space between them and their closest neighbor, the suburbs can provide a lot more room to grow.

While the cost of real estate in most cities around the country exceeds that of surrounding suburbs, the perks of urban living are compensation enough for many. From neighborhood walkability and easy access to shops, restaurants, entertainment and more, to convenient public transit and quick commutes to work, certain benefits of city life are tough to beat. Cities also tend to host a variety of different cultures, offering more opportunity for new and diverse experiences and activities.

As the coronavirus developed, some believed a mass exodus from cities would cause suburban markets to explode in popularity. But while urban dwellers were opting for more spacious living quarters during the quarantine era, housing markets in both cities and their surrounding towns generally grew stronger. Overall, home values increased nearly everywhere around the country.

As mortgage rates reached historical lows, buyer demand soared. With more shoppers on the market than homes for sale, property values enjoyed a boost. In fact, from 2020 to early 2021, the average price of homes in urban areas increased an average of 15.9% — while houses in suburban neighborhoods increased just slightly less at 15.5%.

No matter where you decide is right for you to put roots down, you’ll likely take out a mortgage to finance the cost of your home. And depending on the cost of the property as well as the location, a jumbo loan might be necessary.

Jumbo loans are those that exceed the limit of conforming loans, which is $548,250 in most regions of the country and $822,375 in certain high-cost areas, like Washington D.C. and several counties in California.

If you’re looking for a home in the city where properties tend to be more expensive for less space, be prepared to need a jumbo loan. Because jumbo loans are larger than a typical mortgage, buyers must often meet stricter requirements to qualify, such as higher credit scores and greater down payments. When searching for your next house, it’s a good idea to know the conforming loan limits in the area in case you need to take out a jumbo loan. For example, the average price of a single-family home in certain downtown Chicago neighborhoods far exceeds the conforming loan limits — meaning buying there will almost certainly require a jumbo mortgage.

Should you opt for the suburbs, you may have an easier time avoiding the need for a jumbo loan — and you may be able to score a home with jumbo space while you’re at it.

Related: See our full list of counties with 2021 conforming loan limits higher than the standard $548,250.

In the city vs. suburb debate, there’s no obvious winner. Both areas offer benefits and drawbacks worth considering — and each has die-hard fans. At the end of the day, it comes down to deciding which kind of neighborhood fits your lifestyle and works best with your wallet.