This is the question posed on CityNerd video titled “Walkable Cities But They Keep Getting More Affordable”
If you ditched your car, could you afford to leave the suburbs for a great urban neighborhood?
Ray Delahanty answers the question in the 26 biggest US cities.
The analysis assumes the all-in cost of owning and operating a car is $1,000 per month, including purchase, insurance, fuel, and maintenance.
In the city, transportation costs might total about $250 per month for transit passes, biking, ride-hailing, and other small expenses.
This results in an effective $750 per month increase in the housing budget for city center residents who do not own a car.
The results of the video are quite interesting, as you can get more m² in walkable areas in most cities
My monthly cost of living, all-in, is $2000/month. It was a little more when I was raising my kid. And now, it’s more than it would have been had we not had skyrocketing inflation for the past five years.
If that sounds low, it is. But, I’m old (60) and my mortgage, which is almost paid off, is, and has been for nearly 30 years, $800/mo.
I paid $6000 cash for my current car, nine years ago. Since then, it’s been insurance, gas, oil changes, and one shop visit. Nothing like $1000/mo.
If you think I’m an outlier, I’m not. By definition, half of people pay less than the average.
If people didn’t drive gas-fueled trucks and cars through the middle of cities, then the air would be cleaner, and the city would be quieter. But, people DO drive trucks and cars through cities, and the air is dirty, and the city is noisy.
No, I could not afford to live in a city with decent public transportation, and it has nothing to do with transportation. Nor, do I want to live in a big city, the way they are now, and are likely to be for the rest of my life.
You can hate me for being old and for any other reason you want to, but I sincerely hope you get to live as long as I have, and much longer than that.
And, yes, I agree, fuck cars.
I hate to be nitpicky, but that’s not what the average is. In averages a small population of people who spend way more can bring averages above the median (which is the split between halves of the population).
For cars in particular I prefer using medians as they are much more likely to be aligned to what most people experience.
I did a search. The source article has little bit more of a breakdown, but they still didn’t do the median calculation, only the average. https://mediaroom.kbb.com/2025-10-13-Kelley-Blue-Book-Report-New-Vehicle-Average-Transaction-Price-Hits-Record-High-in-September,-Surges-Past-50,000-for-the-First-Time-Ever