Bostoner – I think I disagree that costs are lower for a frum family moving out of town to a small community. My research has shown the only thing cheaper is the initial home purchase. After that, you are hit with alot of unexpected expenses
1) schools are much more and they do not give you a break so fast as in Brooklyn
2) Real estate tax is alot often
3) Food is much more
4) 2 cars a must – in brooklyn 1 is ok
5) Traveling back and forth to simchas is pricey
6) – NYC is known to give every child any therapy they request (speech, PT, OT) – That wont happen moving to Scranton or the like. So if your child needs speech, its going to be hard to get unless you pay 100$ a hour
The overall cost is not less then in broklyn, people just get tricked by the initial cost of home savings