This is honestly the main reason why I can't see myself settling down in the US. After 5 years living in Manhattan, I find the American suburbs extroardinarily

This is honestly the main reason why I can't see myself settling down in the US. After 5 years living in Manhattan, I find the American suburbs extroardinarily isolating and depressing. Sure I could live in the city, but living in any city big enough to be interesting is too expensive for my tastes. I don't like being dependent on the paycheck of a high salary job (especially in workaholic NYC/USA where you get little time off). So in the meantime I've left the U.S. in search of cheaper cities that still have high quality of life, and walkability is a huge component of that.