Living or working in the 'burbs is absolutely not an option for our household. The reason is quite directly that we don't want to be reliant on a car. And want

Living or working in the 'burbs is absolutely not an option for our household. The reason is quite directly that we don't want to be reliant on a car. And wanting to not be reliant on a car is a big part of the reason I moved into the city in the first place. I did the calculation many years ago, and figured out that even from a purely financial perspective it's better - the rent's higher, but cars are impressively expensive to own, fuel, and maintain. And there are a bunch of other financial perks. Living within walking distance of numerous bars saves a mint in cab fares, for example. (Not to mention that suburban taxi service tends to be an enormous PITA.)