[askafriend]

Living in a denser urban environment is just a completely different lifestyle than living somewhere in the midwest - you can't have the same set of expectations when comparing them. Just as living in Japan is completely different from living in Texas. Neither is better, and you don't have to force yourself to like one or the other.

But you wouldn't go to live in Japan and expect a 2 story house with a backyard, and space to keep 3 Ford F-150s in a garage would you? In the same way, the entire lifestyle of living in SF/NYC is completely different than living elsewhere. Why use the same metrics to compare the very different lifestyles without taking into account that they are in fact different and can't so easily be compared?

You must be willing to make adjustments to your lifestyle. If you are not willing to do this and you only compare different places against what's familiar - then just stay where you're comfortable - you'll never be happy anywhere else.

I'm lucky enough to have lived in many many different types of environments throughout my life and I see the value in all of them.

By the way, for what it's worth I love my current roommates - I much prefer living with them to living alone.