Forget urban living, millennials have eyes for greener pastures: specifically those outside Toronto.

In September, Angus Reid Institute shared the result of its survey on housing and transportation issues within the Greater Toronto Area. The report states that 45 per cent of residents 18 to 34 are “seriously” considering leaving the area due to the high cost of home ownership.

And 73 per cent of the millennials who have made the move beyond Toronto said they left to buy more space for an equal or lower price.

GTA realtor Kent Tran isn’t surprised. “A condo in downtown that demands $700 to $1,000 per square foot just doesn’t make sense anymore,” he says. “If they can buy (a house) outside of Toronto that’s a better price, then why not?”

But there’s a trade-off: longer hours spent commuting. We talked to millennials who have made the move outside Toronto about what prompted their decision.

Pickering: “This was a steal for us”

Banuga Sinnathurai and Suresh Subramaniam, 26 and 31, bought a semi-detached house in Pickering, Ont., for $389,000. Two years later, they were ecstatic to learn a house in their neighbourhood sold for more than $500,000.

“This was a steal for us,” says Subramaniam, who works in Scarborough, 25 minutes by car. While commuting is easy for him, it’s a challenge for his wife, who opens a Bank of Montreal branch in Toronto’s Financial District. She takes the GO Train for two hours every day.

“If I miss the train, I’m screwed and I’d have to call my co-worker to cover for me,” Sinnathurai says. The next train might not arrive until 30 or 40 minutes later.

On the weekends, the couple drives their car — a gift from Subramaniam’s parents — to meet friends in the city. “If we didn’t have a car, it would be hard to do anything,” Sinnathurai says.

Considering transportation expenses, Subramaniam says that the cost of living in Pickering equates to that if they lived in Toronto. But, he says they prefer their current home because it provides more space than a condo downtown.

Innisfil: ‘It’s relaxing living in the suburbs’

Ryan Coleman, 32, bought a detached house in Innisfil, Ont., near Barrie, for $279,000 — an amount that would buy you a one-plus-den condo unit in Toronto, according to Tran.

But, Coleman has no interest in the hustle and bustle that comes with city living. “It’s relaxing living in the suburbs,” he says. “I get a backyard that looks on to a ravine. I have a dog, and she can run out and play.”

He also loves the perks of home ownership. “I don’t have issues with neighbours banging on the walls or security letting random people in. I can do whatever I want.”

Of course, there are trade-offs: Coleman travels almost four hours daily to work as a security personnel at Bay and Bloor Sts..

“It’d be nice if I didn’t have to wake up at 5:30 a.m.,” he says. “I’m tired most of the time.”

Squeezing in a social life is also tough, but Coleman’s found a way to meet friends in the city during weekdays. “Before, I used to go home and come back. Now I have to crash at a buddy’s place and bring an extra suit for work the next day,” he says.

Whitby: ‘(The traffic) is mentally draining’

Shortly after she started working, Maryanne McCollin, 28, bought a semi-detached house in Whitby, Ont. for $330,000.

Tran says that money would buy a one-bedroom condo with parking in downtown Toronto or a small townhouse farther afield.

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But, McCollin opted to buy more space in Whitby, where her relatives live.

“It’s mentally draining,” McCollin says about her two-hour daily drive to North York, where she works as a program co-ordinator. “It’s stop and go all the time.” To make the drive bearable, she listens to radio podcasts such as Serial.

Her social life has also taken a nosedive. McCollin finds it isolating with her friends living in the city. She often declines social calls and opts to stay home with her live-in partner.

The upside? Her house’s value has increased by over $100,000 two years after her purchase. After witnessing the current prices, McCollin is grateful for buying a house earlier when it was more affordable.

Guelph: ‘Our generation is almost out of options’

Lisa Dalicandro, 27, was set on buying a house. She wanted to live in her hometown of Aurora, Ont., but prices have made her wish close to impossible.

“Our generation is almost out of options,” says Dalicandro. “There’s no middle ground — either you live in a condo or you move far away.”

She chose the latter option and bought a new townhouse in Guelph, Ont. for $286,000. Her husband Anthony, 28, works nearby as an electrician. But, for Dalicandro, it takes four hours of daily commuting to work in downtown Toronto.

“It’s exhausting, especially when I work long hours,” says Dalicandro. “I wish I was able to join a gym or sports team.”

She says their living situation is temporary, though. The couple hopes to buy a detached house closer to Toronto and has already saved some money because of their low mortgage.

Milton: ‘Finally, we have our own house’

Bryan Jeresano, 30, and Janet Lorico, 27, moved into a new townhouse in Milton, Ont., last August after two years of house hunting.

“Finally, we have our own house,” says Jeresano. “It’s been our dream. It’s a great feeling.”

The engaged couple had a strict budget before looking at houses in Mississauga, their home city: nothing over $500,000.

“The ones that we found within our budget were old and needed upgrades or renovations,” Jeresano says.

Wanting a place that was move-in ready, they looked farther west in Milton. There, they secured their current home for around $490,000.

“Janet was emotional that we had to move outside of Mississauga,” says Jeresano. “We grew up there. But, the houses were just too expensive.”

Despite their rocky journey, the two are elated about their new community. Owning a car means it’s only a 30-minute commute to Mississauga, where Jeresano works for GO Transit and Lorico for Canadian Pacific Railway.

And if they were ever to work elsewhere in the future, they have GO trains and buses to rely on. “I know the (transit) system is reliable,” Jeresano says.