Affective polarization – referring to a tendency of partisans to like members of their own party, while disliking members of parties from the opposing camp – has received increasing attention over the last years. However, recent research has also shown that identity-based polarization exists beyond partisan divides. Building on this insight, we develop the concept of place-based affect proposing that affective polarization across the urban-rural divide provides a powerful explanation for Europe’s electoral geography. In line with existing studies on the transformation of European politics, we focus on the cosmopolitan-nationalist cleavage. We argue that this cleavage is nurtured by distinct urban and rural identities separating cosmopolitan urbanites from a nationalist countryside, resulting in diverging voting behaviour between both geographical areas. Drawing on orignal survey data from Germany, we show that individuals from rural places, who like their own kind, but dislike city people, are more inclined to vote for nationalist parties. In contrast, the opposite is true for urban place-based affect. Urbanites, liking city people and disliking people from rural areas, tend to vote more cosmopolitan. These empirical results demonstrate that affective polarization across the urban-rural divide is pronounced and that it can serve as an important explanation of electoral geography in Europe.