U.S. suburbs really began to take off in the early 1950s — right around the time when credit cards were mass distributed, allowing homeowners to get bigger places and buy things like televisions, washing machines and other items they may not have been able to afford in cash. Suburbs are assumed to have a higher quality of life than cities — at a much lower price. But how often is that the case with suburbs in the Metro Phoenix area?

MORE NEWS: The 10 fastest-growing housing markets in Arizona

The suburbs get a lot of heat from city dwellers. They’re usually not very walkable and are, well, kind of boring — at least when compared to major metros. But often you can get more bang for your buck in the suburbs than you can in a big city when it comes to home sizes. Still, when deciding between a city and a suburb, it’s important to know the cost differences between them; sometimes, suburbs, though generally more spacious than large metros, sport steeper costs of living than cities. 

Researchers at GOBankingRates analyzed the cost of living and quality of life in the largest cities in America — and compared them to nearby suburbs. More specifically, we evaluated the annual cost of living and livability (scored 0-100) for three of the largest and most popular suburbs in each major metro area.

Key findings include:

  • Five major cities had livability scores of 80 or higher — a better score than many suburbs on our list. These cities include Dallas, Austin, Jacksonville, Charlotte and Orlando.
  • However, the best-rated suburbs score much higher than the best-rated cities on livability. Four suburbs had a livability score of 90 or higher: The Woodlands (near Houston), Admore (near Philadelphia), Lexington (near Boston) and Farmington (near Detroit).
  • The cost of living in suburbs is not drastically cheaper in most places. Just three suburbs had a cost of living that was $10,000+ cheaper: Kannapolis (outside of Charlotte), Plugerville (outside of Austin) and Renton (outside of Seattle) have the biggest cost of living differences from their cities. 

Annual cost of living in Metro Phoenix and suburbs 

  • Phoenix: $55,661
    • Livability score: 76 
  • Goodyear, Arizona: $85,714
    • Livability score: 76 
  • Chandler, Arizona: $63,076
    • Livability score: 79 
  • Gilbert, Arizona: $66,797
    • Livability score: 89 

Read the complete study here.