Longer commute + More money vs. boredom + loneliness

moses23

Is a longer commute and more expensive rent worth it, for a better lifestyle/social scene?
I'm 26, after securing a permanent job outside a big town. Lived in said town last year and was bored senseless. I really miss Dublin so am considering moving to the edge of the city, having a 30-40 minute commute every morning/evening and paying more for rent, as opposed to having a 15 minute drive to work and paying less rent.

Sensible people are telling me it's a crazy idea. But I'm not sensible. Plus I have no responsibilities, no children, no mortgages, no nothing. So why spend any more of my twenties being bored out of my mind when I could have a better chance of meeting people, doing fun things and having a good social life in Dublin?

Any ideas?

_Kaiser_

30/40 minute commute wouldn't bother me at all. I used to do a 70/80 minute commute (each way) for a year and found it quite relaxing at the end of the day to just get on the open (empty M3) motorway and turn up the tunes, stick the cruise control on and relax before I got home

Prior to that I used to do what you're proposing now and travelled 30 mins from the edge of the city to my workplace. Again a relatively painless drive and it allowed me to still be close to town and friends/family.

There's no real "right" answer here. It depends on what you value most and how easy/expensive the options will be but if you're unhappy where you are and can afford to move back and commute (bear in mind it's not just fuel/tolls - there'll be extra wear and tear on the car too so that's tyres more often, extra servicing etc)

All the above assumes you're driving though. If you'd be bussing it then it becomes a completely different story and probably not worth the hassle IMO unless it was door-to-door and a regular and reliable service.

Final Approach

If it were me I would def take the option of being closer to Dublin. It would be worth it to me to be nearer the city for exactly the reasons you listed. Living in an area were you are constantly longing to be closer to 'the action' could eventually lead to you feeling really low - and as a previous poster said, 40 mins commute is not a lot in the scheme of things.

Best of luck with whatever you decide!

moses23

Thanks for the replies - yeah I'd be driving, and I know it would cost a lot more rent-wise and on petrol etc. but I just don't see the point in wasting time living somewhere that doesn't excite me/where I have less real friends when I can just about afford to live somewhere I enjoy!