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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.

Data current as of . Sources: US Census Bureau, Zillow, HUD, BEA.
# 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.

Our data comes from the US Census American Community Survey (income, rent, home values), the Zillow Home Value Index, and HUD Fair Market Rents.

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