It’s a phenomenon seen in many western cities, particularly in the past couple of decades as the gentrification of inner city suburbs made them more expensive. But are moves to areas with cheaper housing offset by higher transport costs – long driving commutes necessitated by limited access to public transport and walkable facilities?

It’s obviously a question that will change with price movements for crude oil and transport fuels, but a study of the Boston area, by the Urban Land Institute, suggests that many households are costing themselves more by favouring cheaper housing over transport proximity.

The yellow areas on the map show where households have higher costs because of their limited access to good transportation, meaning transport is a relatively high cost. The pale green areas are the opposite; they have lower costs primarily due to good access to transport. The darker green and orange zones are where household characteristics, such as income, affect transport costs.

The report is not exactly from one of the usual suspects, either – the Urban Land Institute is a non-profit organisation which says its 30,000 worldwide members are from the real estate development and “land use disciplines”.