- The Midwest comes out ahead, while the West falls behind. Six of the 10 most affordable cities are in the Midwest, three in the South and one in the Northeast. No Western cities are in the top 10, and Ogden, Utah, is the top-ranking affordable city in the West (No. 18).
- Two capital cities rank in our top 10. Springfield, Ill., and Jackson, Miss.,— both state capitals — rank as the fourth and sixth-most affordable cities in our study, respectively. Iowa City, the first capital of Iowa that Des Moines later replaced, ranks eighth.
- The average rent is less than $1,000 in only 22 cities. Nationally, rent averages almost $2,000 per month, nearly 36% higher than five years ago when it stood at $1,469. And in most cities in 2023 (201 out of 223, to be specific), rent averages more than $1,000 per month.
1. Green Bay, Wis.
Roughly 120 miles north of Milwaukee, Green Bay ranks as the most affordable city in our study. The median monthly rent in Green Bay, Wisconsin, was just $870 as of March 2023 — the 10th-lowest across all 223 cities. Groceries and other miscellaneous goods and services (clothing, entertainment, etc.) are also affordable in Green Bay. Data from the Council for Community and Economic Research (CCER), which tracks the recent cost of living data, shows that groceries and miscellaneous goods in Green Bay are roughly 15% and 12% lower than the national average, respectively.
2. Wichita, Kan.
Wichita, Kan., ranks as the second-most affordable U.S. city to live in. Across the seven metrics we considered, it ranks highly for its low average monthly rent ($971) and affordable transportation (including gas prices and public transport options). Relative to the national average, transportation in Wichita is more than 13% less expensive. Prospective home buyers in Wichita can also appreciate the low median home sales price, which was $210,000 as of March 2023.
3. Rapid City, S.D.
Rapid City, South Dakota, is part of Pennington County, which had the lowest unemployment rate (1.5%) in March 2023 out of any county we reviewed for this study. Rapid City also boasts the 10th most affordable transportation (nearly 15% lower than the national average) and low rent relative to many other areas of the country. March 2023 data shows that the median monthly rent (across all types of homes and apartments for rent) in Rapid City at $1,278 monthly.
4. Springfield, Ill.
Springfield, Ill., ranks in the top 50 U.S. cities for four metrics. It has the 21st-lowest median home sales price ($139,000) and the 30th-lowest median monthly rent ($1,034). Like Wisconsin’s Green Bay, groceries and other miscellaneous goods are significantly cheaper in Springfield than in most places. CCER data shows that the average price of groceries is 8.1% lower than the national average, while miscellaneous goods are 13.4% more affordable.
5. Broken Arrow, Okla.
Broken Arrow is an affordable town in Tulsa County, found in the Northeast corner of Oklahoma. Broken Arrow has the highest median household income across all top 10 cities at roughly $102,700. While the median home sales price in Broken Arrow is higher than in other cities in our top 10, residents can likely afford homes with their relatively large incomes.
6. Jackson, Miss.
Housing costs in Jackson, Miss., are significantly lower than the national average. The median home sale price in March 2023 was only $120,000, and the median monthly rent was $1,065. Relative to other cities we examined, Jackson has the 15th-lowest home prices and 34th-lowest rents. Transportation in Jackson is also 12.8% lower than prices nationally, according to CCER data from the end of 2022.
7. Alexandria, La.
Alexandria, La., is the third Southern city on our list. Alexandria's median home sale price is the lowest in our study, at only $64,000. For residents looking to rent over buy, the median monthly rent is $1,100. Additionally, transportation in Alexandria is 11.5% lower than the national average.
8. Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City was the first capital city of Iowa, replaced by Des Moines in 1857. Because of that, the city is home to several historic and cultural landmarks, including the Old Capitol Building and the University of Iowa Art Museum.
It is also quite affordable. The median monthly rent is less than $1,200, about $800 less than the national average. Groceries are about 11% lower and transportation is roughly 7% less expensive than U.S. averages as well.
9. Manchester, N.H. (Tie)
New Englanders looking for an affordable city may want to consider Manchester, N. H. The median household income is in the top third of cities at roughly $81,900, and unemployment is low at 2.3%. Across the three other cost of living categories we considered outside of housing, Manchester ranks best for the cost of miscellaneous goods and services — 12.2% lower than the national average.
9. Sioux City, Iowa (Tie)
Sioux City, Iowa, ties with Manchester, New Hampshire, as the ninth-most affordable U.S. city in which to live in 2023. Sioux City is nearly 300 driving miles west of Iowa City and sits on the border of Nebraska and South Dakota. Groceries and other miscellaneous goods and services are 23rd- and 44th-lowest in Sioux City, respectively, relative to all other cities we analyzed. According to recent estimates, the median home sales price in Sioux City is $202,000, nearly $200,000 less than the national figure.
Looking to move to a new state or city? See our full ranking of most affordable cities below.
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To rank the most affordable cities to live in 2023, the Guides Team compared 223 of the largest U.S. cities across seven metrics. These seven metrics are explained below, along with their sources:
- Median household income: Data comes from the Census Bureau’s 2021 5-year American Community Survey.
- Unemployment rate: Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is updated as of March 2023.
- Median home sale price: Data from Zillow is updated as of March 2023.
- Median monthly rent: Data comes from Zillow and is as of March 2023.
- Grocery cost of living index: Data comes from the Council for Community and Economic Research and is as of Q4 2022.
- Transportation cost of living index: Data comes from the Council for Community and Economic Research and is as of Q4 2022.
- Miscellaneous goods and services cost of living index: Data comes from the Council for Community and Economic Research and is as of Q4 2022.
Combined groceries, transportation, and miscellaneous goods and services make up 58% of average household expenses, according to Council for Community and Economic Research data. Housing, which we looked at separately via the median home sale price and median monthly rent, makes up about 28% of average household expenses.
We calculated an average ranking using the seven metrics above and weighting them all equally. The most affordable city scored 100, while the least received a 0.
Questions on our study? Contact the author here.
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