I second starkfist's note of caution. How about finding a job in a semi-rural place (if you don't care which one, there are options - eg. check out astronomical

I second starkfist's note of caution. How about finding a job in a semi-rural place (if you don't care which one, there are options - eg. check out astronomical facilities which tend to be in relatively isolated areas) and trying it out for a year? That way you avoid the loose-loose scenario of deciding you don't like it and burning through your savings to find that out. If you do like it, you can always quit later. Grass is always greener at the other side of the fence; I'm in the opposite situation of having worked for years in a semi-rural area and thinking about getting back in a city. Like the OP said, there are upsides and downsides to everywhere. I think if you want to try this, you want to set some milestones for the various scenarios, like at what point to bail out if you don't like it, at what level of savings should you start looking for work again, and so on.