The Urban Edge

If you live in a metropolitan area, you probably spend more money than your country cousins. In fact, metropolitan households spent $7,808 more than rural households in 2011, according to the Consumer Expenditure Survey.

• Housing: Bigger mortgages and higher rents account for two-thirds of the greater spending of urban residents. 
• Food: Households in metro areas spent $200 less than those in nonmetropolitan areas on groceries in 2011, but they spent $600 more on restaurants. 
• Transportation: Rural and urban households spend about the same on transportation, but rural households spend more on gasoline. Urban households spend more on airline fares.
• Entertainment: Spending on entertainment is about the same for urban and rural households, but urban households budget more of their entertainment dollar to movie tickets, health club memberships, and admissions to sporting events. Rural households spend 48 percent more than urban households on pets.

Note: The terms metropolitan/urban and nonmetropolitan/rural are used interchangeably.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Expenditures of Urban and Rural Households in 2011