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Best Affordable Cities to Live in the US

Top 100 US cities (population > 50,000) with below-average cost of living ranked by income-to-cost ratio. These cities offer the best purchasing power.

# City State Cost Index Income
1 Ankeny IA 97 $106,603
2 Shawnee KS 97 $106,312
3 Bentonville AR 100 $108,465
4 Noblesville IN 98 $102,319
5 Edmond OK 98 $102,032
6 Livonia MI 95 $96,317
7 Bellevue NE 88 $87,343
8 Appleton WI 79 $77,450
9 Broken Arrow OK 88 $85,220
10 St. Peters MO 93 $89,827
11 Bloomington IL 79 $75,449
12 Royal Oak MI 100 $95,182
13 Blue Springs MO 89 $84,075
14 Joliet IL 94 $88,026
15 Irondequoit NY 82 $76,871
16 Tonawanda Town NY 82 $76,644
17 Elgin IL 95 $88,316
18 St. Charles MO 92 $85,522
19 West Des Moines IA 92 $84,925
20 Kettering OH 78 $71,619
21 Cedar Rapids IA 74 $67,859
22 Rogers AR 91 $82,993
23 Rochester MN 96 $87,767
24 Enid OK 70 $63,472
25 Bismarck ND 85 $77,608
26 Cuyahoga Falls OH 78 $70,645
27 Columbus IN 85 $76,856
28 Sioux City IA 73 $65,473
29 Springfield IL 73 $65,537
30 Moore OK 86 $76,941
31 Sioux Falls SD 84 $74,714
32 Janesville WI 81 $71,664
33 Davenport IA 73 $64,497
34 Waukesha WI 93 $81,651
35 Bristol CT 95 $83,458
36 West Allis WI 80 $69,685
37 Parma OH 77 $67,425
38 Cheyenne WY 89 $77,176
39 Greenwood IN 91 $78,765
40 Dubuque IA 76 $64,985
41 St. Clair Shores MI 85 $72,693
42 Wyoming MI 85 $72,163
43 Mission TX 72 $60,813
44 Normal IL 78 $66,350
45 Council Bluffs IA 76 $64,092
46 Cheektowaga NY 78 $66,293
47 Jeffersonville IN 83 $70,157
48 Oshkosh WI 73 $61,929
49 Oak Lawn IL 98 $82,493
50 Omaha NE 86 $72,708
51 Casper WY 82 $69,171
52 Wichita KS 75 $63,072
53 Southaven MS 91 $76,159
54 Grand Island NE 75 $62,439
55 Sterling Heights MI 94 $78,429
56 Lincoln NE 84 $69,991
57 Laredo TX 76 $63,264
58 Green Bay WI 75 $62,546
59 Harlingen TX 67 $55,891
60 Waukegan IL 86 $70,578
61 Duluth MN 80 $66,263
62 Decatur AL 73 $59,831
63 Victoria TX 83 $68,233
64 Pasco WA 99 $81,130
65 Kentwood MI 90 $73,647
66 Odessa TX 90 $73,030
67 Eau Claire WI 80 $65,369
68 Great Falls MT 78 $63,934
69 Fargo ND 81 $66,029
70 Decatur IL 62 $50,809
71 Peoria IL 72 $58,716
72 Huntsville AL 87 $70,778
73 Warner Robins GA 81 $65,715
74 Fort Wayne IN 74 $60,293
75 Oklahoma City OK 82 $66,702
76 Grand Forks ND 79 $63,838
77 Idaho Falls ID 86 $69,630
78 Wichita Falls TX 73 $58,568
79 Springdale AR 82 $66,044
80 Des Moines IA 79 $63,966
81 Topeka KS 69 $55,902
82 Florissant MO 83 $66,344
83 St. Joseph MO 69 $55,578
84 Waterloo IA 70 $56,344
85 McAllen TX 75 $60,165
86 Longview TX 78 $62,488
87 San Angelo TX 81 $64,146
88 Billings MT 90 $71,855
89 Lakewood OH 83 $65,925
90 Metairie LA 92 $73,256
91 Berwyn IL 95 $75,235
92 Amarillo TX 79 $62,469
93 Kannapolis NC 90 $70,691
94 Kenosha WI 87 $68,532
95 Abilene TX 80 $62,720
96 Edinburg TX 74 $57,789
97 Pensacola FL 93 $72,699
98 Newark OH 75 $58,920
99 Kokomo IN 70 $54,195
100 Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) KY 83 $64,731

How We Rank Affordable Cities

Unlike simple "cheapest cities" lists, this ranking considers both cost of living and income. We rank cities by their income-to-cost ratio (median household income divided by cost index), surfacing places where your dollar stretches the furthest.

Only cities with a cost index below 100 (cheaper than the national average) and a population above 50,000 are included, ensuring these are real cities with meaningful economies — not tiny towns with artificially low costs.

See also: Cheapest Cities · Cheapest States · Most Expensive States