Living in an expensive city - My reflection after moving East

It has been a year now that I moved back to Quebec and I want to share some of my thoughts about living in the Sea to Sky, a place where the cost of living (especially housing) is known to be extremely high. I am also hearing several friends considering moving out of the Sea to Sky for financial reasons.

I completely agree that having trouble making ends meet is never good and I wish it to no ones. We should all be able to fulfill our basic needs, but I honestly think that some cons of living in an expensive city, could also be seen as pros. It is only a matter of perspective.

Here are some reflections :

• It's so expensive to put a roof under your head that
  you must share your entire home with one (or many!) housemates, or occasionally rent one of your room.
   
  
• It's so expensive to put gas in your tank that
  you either carpool with colleagues or fill your seats with travellers or other commuters when you drive along the 99 highway.
  
  
• It's so expensive to possess land that you probably don't have any yard and
  you make picnics and bonfires in parks and beaches instead. You also have no space (and money) for a pool, so you swim in lakes and rivers.
  
  
• It's so expensive to possess land that
  you subscribe to a community garden and share tools and tips with other gardeners.
  
  
• It's so expensive to be fashioned and geared up for all the sports that
  you better shop in thrift stores and on Market Place to buy second hand whenever it is possible.
  
  
• It's so expensive that
  you might only own one car for your family, and use cycling or car sharing when you need a second one. 
  
  
• It's so expensive to own or rent a house that you live in a condo or a townhouse and
  you probably have a supportive community of neighbours right at the step of your door, as well as friends for your kids just by stepping out.
  
  
• It's so expensive to plan getaways
  that people mostly stay around town during weekends and it is easy to plan activities spontaneously and run into friends when playing around. 
  
  
• And I could go on and on with more examples.

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So far, I don't feel richer here in Quebec, I just spend differently. 

I have a bigger home and no housemates, I use my car more, I travel to meet up with friends and we rent AirBnBs and book restaurants more often, I have a yard, no neighbour is stopping by to assist me with fixing my bike or my car, so I go to the garage and the bike shop more, the reuse-it market is not as great, and parks and riversides are not as full of life. 

I don't want to sound negative about living in an cheaper area, but when people seems afraid of the rising cost of living here too, I wonder if we could actually use it to change our consumer habits and build more connection and stronger communities. I would also be more sustainable for the planet.

That being said, we definitely have more space, more privacy and more freedom in a cheaper area. 

Is that a priority over daily connection? 

More space, privacy and freedom... or more connection? 

I'm assuming it depends of who you are and at what stage are you at in your life. :)