City, metro area or country: which geography does a price describe?

Read the geographic definition

Record the source’s exact place name and boundary: municipality, metropolitan area, region or country. Two reports using the same familiar city name may cover different places. A metro-area statistic can include suburbs with different property mixes and travel needs. Keep the original scope in your notes rather than shortening every label to the central city.

Match geography to the decision

For a broad city shortlist, regional context may still help, but a particular rental decision needs a suitable location and housing cohort. Mark a country reference as a fallback, not as city research. If the source does not isolate your district, do not derive a district price by assigning an unexplained percentage discount to a national figure.

Compare boundaries consistently

When comparing two locations, explain if one number is city-only and the other metropolitan. Do not average neighbourhood medians to manufacture a metro median: the sample weights and underlying values matter. In Lifovra, read geographic provenance beside the amount and replace it with a compatible personal quote when your actual neighbourhood differs from the source area.

Sources and further reading

• Lifovra — methodology and limitations