If you are contemplating living on a farm vs living in the city, you may be wondering which one is better. Buying a house is a big investment and moving to either option isn’t to be taken lightly, which is why it’s important to consider carefully why it is better to live on a farm than in the city.
Living on a farm is better than living in a city if you want clean fresh air, less noise and exhaust pollution, you want to get away from the crowds and you are looking for a less stressful way of life with next to zero crime.
Reasons why it is better to live on a farm than the city
Noise pollution: Living on a farm vs living in a city is definitely quieter, as city living means living with traffic noise on busy main roads.
Clean air: The air in the countryside is cleaner and healthier than it is in big cities, as there’s huge amounts of exhaust pollution from cars, vans and lorries on the roads in cities.
Less people: Cities are full of people and it’s difficult to go anywhere without bumping into loads of people walking on the streets. Whereas living on a farm means you’ll have less people to put up with.
Privacy: Due to the fact there are less people around living on a farm, you’ll enjoy more privacy than you would living in a city.
Simple life: Farm living is a much simpler way of life, but having said that, if you buy a working farm, farming is hard work.
Crime rates: There are lower crime rates in the countryside vs the high crime rates of inner cities, which means it’s safer to live on a farm.
Less stress: City life can be very stressful as you’ll be part of the rat race, whereas farm living is at a slower and more relaxed pace of life.
Better views: The views from a farm are far better than the views you get living in a city.
Great for kids: Farm living is a great way to bring up children.
What are the disadvantages of living on a farm vs living in a city?
The bad things about living on a farm vs living in a city include the following:
Distance from amenities: Unlike when you live in a city where all the amenities are close at hand, living on a farm means you’ll be much further away from shops, supermarkets, pubs and other amenities like hospitals.
Isolation: If you are used to living in a city and being close to people, you may find living on a farm and in the countryside a bit isolated.
Allergies: If you suffer from allergies like hay fever you may struggle living in the countryside and on a farm. But this depends on what pollen triggers your hay fever.
Internet speed: The speed of the internet in the countryside isn’t always as good as it can be in cities, as it’s more costly for the internet providers to run cables to the more remote areas when compared to supplying properties that are right next to each other in cities.
Mobile phone signal: Often times the mobile signal isn’t as good when living out in the countryside when compared to living in a city.
Pests and rodents: You have to get used to the fact that farms attract pests and rodents including mice and rats, which is not something everyone is happy about, especially if you’ve grown up and lived in a city for most of your life.
Hard work: Living on a working farm is hard work if it’s your intension to buy a working farm.
Pesticides: The fields on a farm, like cornfields, are sprayed with pesticides. Research has shown that pesticides are bad for human health, which is something to consider carefully if you have or intend to have children.
Snakes: If you don’t like snakes, you may need to get used to living with snakes with countryside and farm living, which is not a consideration if you live in a city.
Winter snow problems: The roads in the countryside are slower to be gritted and cleared by snow ploughs than they are in cities.
Farm smells: Some types of farm can smell bad, including pig farms and poultry farms, which are smells you don’t experience in cities.
What is the difference between city and farm?
Difference
City
Farm
People
More people and crowds.
Less people and no crowds.
Traffic
Loads of traffic and plenty of traffic jams.
Little to no traffic and unlikely to see traffic jams.
Distance to shops and supermarkets
Short distance and possibly walking distance.
Can be far away and will always require a car to get there.
Snow
Roads in cities are cleared of snow quickly.
Countryside roads are slower to be cleared of snow.
Airports
Many large cities have
Airports will generally be quite a distance from farms.
Transport links
Many transport links available, including busses, trains and trams, which means you can live without a car.
Not many transport links, so a car is essential.
Owning a car
Optional.
Essential.
Green space
Limited.
You'll be surrounded by green open space and fields.
Noise
Very noisy with traffic noise, emergency vehicle sirens and other background noise you get in cities.
Less traffic noise, but farm animals can be noisy instead, like cockerels.
Pollution
High levels of pollution and can be a high risk for asthma sufferers, especially for kids.
Low levels of pollution.
Pesticides
Very low risk.
Can be a high risk, especially for children.
Crime rates
High crime rates.
Low crime rates.
Scenery
Tower blocks and not pretty.
Beautiful scenery.
Stress
High levels of stress.
Low stress levels.
Is it healthier to live in the country or city?
It is healthier to live in the country vs living in the city, as countryside living means a lower risk of cancer and respiratory diseases due to lower pollution levels, together with less noise pollution and less stress.
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Article written by Russell Bowyer who has been investing in property since purchasing his first commercial property in the 1990's for his own Chartered Accountancy business. But his first property investment project was to turn an old dilapidated restaurant into a large 5-bed home, which he purchased for £117,500 and sold for £450,000 (to see an "after" photo of the house before it was sold see here: About). Russell owns a number of investment properties, which includes houses, flats and HMO's. More recently he has turned his creative side to investing in property using lease options. His largest lease option deal to date was to acquire 12 properties worth over £2 million for just £12, which means he paid just £1 to acquire each property!
