I wouldn't say either are better, there are loads of pros and cons to both. It just depends on the priorities and choices for each person. Urban areas generally have higher crime. But (excluding bad area inner city) they also usually have better schools. It's nice being 5 minutes from work or a grocery store also in urban areas, vs. having to drive 1/2 hr or an hour each way. There are 2 hours + every single day that some rural people spend of totally wasted life driving. That's not a small deal. You can even take that further and take into account all the extra miles put on your car that cause wear/tear and depreciation, fuel costs, and increased odds of an accident while driving so much (especially in winter in the north). Urban areas are close to everything and are close to sports, movies, concerts, etc. In rural areas people are typically friendlier, but that isn't a hard and fast rule. In some rural areas it just turns into terrible cliquey gossip where anything that happens gets whispered around, because people have nothing better to do. Urban areas on the other hand generally have much higher costs of living. Good luck getting a fast ISP in rural areas also.
I've lived in both so I know all the pros and cons of each. That's just what it is, neither are really better. It's just what's more important to you. Is less noise more important than less of your life being wasted driving in a car commuting everywhere? Is a higher cost of living in an urban area worth being 5 minutes from work or a major sports or concert venue? So not only would I say that rural living isn't always better, I'd say it's very 50/50.