> If this was true, shouldn't efficiency make living there cheaper?
You make more money in cities, and it is easier to find a job. Living in a small town in Montana sounds great, until you realize that you can't find a job and are starving to death. Smaller towns and cities are cheaper simply because people have less money to spend on housing. But try going to Aspen CO or Jackson WY, and its crushing because so many rich people are living in those places and the only jobs to be had are low paying ones serving those rich people.
You make more money in cities, and it is easier to find a job. Living in a small town in Montana sounds great, until you realize that you can't find a job and are starving to death. Smaller towns and cities are cheaper simply because people have less money to spend on housing. But try going to Aspen CO or Jackson WY, and its crushing because so many rich people are living in those places and the only jobs to be had are low paying ones serving those rich people.