Rankings

25 Most Affordable Cities in America

The cheapest cities to live in the United States, ranked by our composite cost of living index using committed Census, Zillow, and BEA inputs.

1 source baseline is past its update cadence — newer official vintage not reflected

2026 edition — based on ACS 2024, Zillow 2026-08, HUD FY2027, and BEA 2024 dated sources. The edition year is not the observation year.

Exact ranking sample: 1,531 cities with uncapped home, rent, and income estimates.

Compare two cities

#1 Most Affordable

Flint

Index: 67

Avg Home Value Savings

$182,645

vs national average

States Represented

of 50 states

Full Rankings

#	City	Index	Home Value	Rent	Income	Pop.
1	Flint, MI	67	$65,250	$954	$37,646	80,175
2	Youngstown, OH	68	$73,589	$1,059	$34,408	59,331
3	Pine Bluff, AR	68	$73,251	$1,058	$42,718	39,743
4	Jackson, MS	70	$86,367	$1,265	$42,071	146,631
5	Gadsden, AL	71	$117,213	$859	$40,345	33,374
6	Decatur, IL	72	$107,246	$1,067	$51,592	69,815
7	Rock Island, IL	72	$127,832	$952	$59,041	36,151
8	Chester, PA	72	$83,100	$1,338	$41,342	33,619
9	Waterloo, IA	73	$147,780	$945	$57,480	67,008
10	Lawton, OK	74	$146,805	$1,118	$54,433	90,595
11	Albany, GA	74	$133,518	$1,008	$47,240	67,224
12	Enid, OK	74	$136,865	$1,150	$62,125	50,653
13	Hutchinson, KS	74	$151,216	$805	$58,687	39,709
14	Warren, OH	74	$128,641	$1,000	$37,887	38,912
15	Bay City, MI	74	$128,005	$985	$49,420	32,320
16	Detroit, MI	75	$77,199	$1,341	$39,938	638,530
17	Gary, IN	75	$92,352	$1,363	$38,731	68,113
18	Port Arthur, TX	75	$127,534	$1,288	$46,354	55,828
19	Anderson, IN	75	$135,767	$1,079	$46,909	55,367
20	Alexandria, LA	75	$149,506	$1,120	$47,113	44,060
21	Pekin, IL	75	$144,443	$950	$60,790	31,781
22	Memphis, TN	76	$145,335	$1,232	$51,736	618,980
23	Toledo, OH	76	$133,536	$1,128	$49,724	267,463
24	Shreveport, LA	76	$148,292	$1,184	$48,699	180,982
25	Muncie, IN	76	$158,233	$1,002	$44,471	64,751

Methodology: Rankings use our composite cost of living index (housing 35% + rent 15% + goods 20% + services 20% + utilities 10%). Only cities with population > 30,000 and complete, uncapped home, rent, and income estimates are included. Data comes from the committed Census, Zillow, and BEA inputs. See full methodology →

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cheapest city to live in America?

Based on our Cost of Living Index using 2024 Census data, Flint, MI is the most affordable major city with an index of 67, meaning costs are 33% below the national average.

How is affordability measured?

We use a composite cost of living index built from national-average comparisons: housing 35%, rent 15%, goods 20%, services 20%, and utilities 10%. An index of 100 equals the national average; below 100 is more affordable.

Why are some popular cities not on this list?

This ranking only includes cities with populations over 30,000 to ensure statistical reliability. Smaller towns may be even more affordable but lack sufficient Census data.

Which states have the most affordable cities?

In our top 25, 15 different states are represented. Southern and Midwestern states tend to dominate the affordability rankings.