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Living very frugally, and driving an old car, wouldn't bother me but living in a Soviet-style flat would seriously depress me. Maybe it's having an effect on yo

Living very frugally, and driving an old car, wouldn't bother me but living in a Soviet-style flat would seriously depress me. Maybe it's having an effect on your own psychology? Human beings are by nature outdoor animals and living in a huge block apartment is about as far from the natural outdoors as you can get. You could try renting a proper home on Airbnb for a month and see how you feel after a few weeks of having a nicer environment. This is the main reason most Americans want to own a home with a backyard. It allows you to relax and BBQ in the "outdoors" any time you want. Sitting around a fire pit is soothing in a primal way. I think most people find that it improves their psychology immensely.

throwaway_aiG 8y ago
Oh, well =). I enjoy living in city, it is very convenient. I like city infrastructure (especially public transport, here it is awesome). And here we have a "real winter" with snow for 4-5 months a year, so it's a additional challenge to clean out of snow your backyard.
badpun 8y ago
> relax and BBQ in the "outdoors" any time you want In Poland (which has similar climate to Moscow), it's not "any time you want", but more like May-September. For me, it's one of main reasons for not owning a house - it's a major hassle throught the year, but you reap the benefits for only around 5 months in this climate.
zerr 8y ago
Say thanks to zoning... In many post soviet (i.e. developing or non-developing) there is literally "wild west" - you can spend all of your life savings and build/buy a nice house with a backyard, but some other "investor" might build 30-store building right next to you.