Interesting thought on the developer fees (which I think I've heard exist in some places).  But I'm more curious about your final sentence.  If your property taxes are higher there, it suggests that your infrastructure costs are NOT cheaper there.  What are your property taxes paying for then?  It's typically things like schools, streets, libraries, water, fire dept, etc. Your sales taxes are generally higher than exurbs too, which are the other main funder of infrastructure.