[adrianN]

Consumption of resources and cost are only weakly correlated. Urban areas are expensive because people want to live there, for example because that's where the jobs and the cultural life are. There are more efficient in terms of land and energy use as well as in terms of infrastructure cost per tax payer.

[lacker]

Consumption of resources and cost are only weakly correlated.

The main types of economic resources are land, labor, capital, and natural resources. All of these cost money, and cost is a very reasonable way to measure resource consumption. The biggest inefficiencies of urban areas come from the cost of land and labor.

[adrianN]

Except the monetary costs of natural resources are generally not reflecting the actual damage done.

[triplee]

This and also poor zoning laws and NIMBYism allow for (and encourage) constant sprawl which also drives city prices up more because some people don't want to commute two hours each way.