For me, i am a country boy (rural boy) at heart, bro. I love life in the village, or close to the nature. I agree with you in regards to cost of living differences from city to rural. For example, my family home , its located in a rural suburb of Sapporo --- we have a 5 bedroom house, it is fairly large, and we have a 3 acre yard. The cost of our property + house , given its location, would be around $450,000 (US Dollars), but to own or buy a house of the same size say in downtown Sapporo , or even in larger cities like Yokohama, Tokyo, Kyoto, Saitama, Maizuru etc --- maybe it would be worth $1.5 million - $2 million (US Dollars). And then you have to pay exorbitant property tax, lol!
There is as saying in Tokyo, "Live in big house, but eat small food!!!!" LOL!
This is why i will never live in the city. Maybe in suburbs, or if possible, in a farm town !
Really? That much eh? You're really well paid compared to the average, great job, man ! Same, in Japan average teacher makes around $40,000 - $45,000 a year. Which is very good. Especially if man and wife are both teachers -- combined income can hit $100,000 + a year. That's a very good lifestyle, and can provide a lot for the couple and kids.