It’s not news to anyone: Life in the United States can be expensive. But if you’re willing to forgo the fancier coastal cities, you can find a place to live that’s easier on your budget.
Niche.com, a neighborhood data platform, publishes an annual list of the most affordable U.S. cities. It’s based on the site’s own analysis of government data to determine the cost of living in cities across the U.S.
The analysis considers such factors as housing, food and fuel costs, median tax rates and other elements that affect the overall affordability of an area.
Here’s a look at the cheapest places to live in America according to Niche.
25. Jackson, Mississippi
Cost-of-living grade: B+
Estimated population: 146,000 as of 2022
“The City with Soul” has a lot to offer book lovers (with a rich literary history that includes such authors as William Faulkner and John Grisham) but perhaps even more for fans of museums and art galleries. It has more than two dozen of them, from the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum to the Mississippi Children’s Museum.
24. Davenport, Iowa
Cost-of-living grade: B+
Estimated population: 100,000 as of 2022
Davenport is known for its glass-encased Skybridge, a pedestrian cable-stayed bridge that spans River Drive by the Mississippi River, and allows residents to submit requests to change its colorful LED light display to celebrate events.
23. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cost-of-living grade: B+
Estimated population: 136,000 as of 2022
The City of Five Seasons is the second-largest city in Iowa and the largest corn-processing city in the world. It is also home to two dozen Fortune 500 companies, including General Mills and Nordstrom.
22. El Paso, Texas
Cost-of-living grade: B+
Estimated population: 677,000 as of 2022
El Paso has the busiest international border crossing in the world. The city at the western tip of Texas is connected by a bridge across the Rio Grande river — the Paso del Norte — to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
21. Wichita, Kansas
Cost-of-living grade: B+
Estimated population: 396,000 as of 2022
Wichita carries many names, including “Air Capital of the World” and “Cowtown.” It’s also the original home of Pizza Hut and the largest city in Kansas.
20. Detroit, Michigan
Cost-of-living grade: B+
Estimated population: 620,000 as of 2022
In 1879, Detroit became the first city to move beyond the “party line” and create individual phone numbers. It is also, of course, famously known as Motor City due to its association with the automotive industry.
19. Abilene, Texas
Cost-of-living grade for this city: B+
Estimated population: 127,000 as of 2022
Abilene, Texas, is not to be confused with Abilene, Kansas (although the Texas version was named for the Kansas city). This Abilene sits 150 miles west of Fort Worth and offers plenty to do, thanks to three private universities and a flourishing downtown cultural district that includes museums, urban parks and more.
18. Peoria, Illinois
Cost-of-living grade: B+
Estimated population: 111,000 as of 2022
The oldest community in Illinois sits on the Illinois River, halfway between Chicago and St. Louis. It’s home to the oldest community theater in the U.S. and the headquarters of the Caterpillar company.
17. Montgomery, Alabama
Cost-of-living grade for this city: B+
Estimated population: 197,000 as of 2022
Montgomery, Alabama’s capital, is one of the larger cities on this list. Once home to the First White House of the Confederacy, the city became the center of the Civil Rights Movement, notably the Montgomery Bus Boycotts. The city attracted the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hank Williams and the Wright Brothers.
16. Amarillo, Texas
Cost-of-living grade: A-
Estimated population: 201,000 as of 2022
“The Yellow Rose of Texas” — a title the city shares with a song, a film and a flower — is also known as “The Helium Capital of the World.” The city’s actual name, Amarillo, is the Spanish word for the color yellow.
15. Topeka, Kansas
Cost-of-living grade for this city: A-
Estimated population: 125,000 as of 2022
Topeka is the capital city of the Sunflower State, located along the Kansas River in the northeast part of the state. And Topeka is one of many places that will pay you to move there.
14. Beaumont, Texas
Cost-of-living grade: A-
Estimated population: 112,000 as of 2022
Beaumont sits on the Neches River, near the Texas border with Louisiana. It benefits from all the usual college-town cultural amenities thanks to Lamar University, whose 292-acre campus is part of the Texas State University System.
13. Laredo, Texas
Cost-of-living grade: A-
Estimated population: 256,000 as of 2022
Founded way back in 1755, this town on the southern Texas border is home to the Republic of the Rio Grande Museum and San Agustin Cathedral.
12. McAllen, Texas
Cost-of-living grade: A-
Estimated population: 145,000 as of 2022
McAllen is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. It has a reputation as a shopping destination and features nearly 700 restaurants. But the Texas city on the Rio Grande might be most renowned as one of the nation’s best spots for birding.
11. Cleveland, Ohio
Cost-of-living grade for this city: A-
Estimated population: 362,000 as of 2022
The benefits of Cleveland’s size include a major presence in professional sports, thanks to the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and MLB’s Cleveland Guardians. And the Ohio city is home to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the I.M. Pei-designed museum that celebrates all things rock and often hosts live concerts.
10. Rockford, Illinois
Cost-of-living grade for this city: A-
Estimated population: 147,000 as of 2022
This town in northern Illinois has been called “Forest City,” after settlers’ discovery of the Rock River Valley’s verdant woods, and also the “Screw Capital of the World,” for its production of machinery fasteners from World War I through the Cold War.
9. Springfield, Illinois
Cost-of-living grade for this city: A-
Estimated population: 113,000 as of 2022
Springfield is known as the home of Abraham Lincoln and his presidential library and museum. It is also the state capital — thanks to Lincoln himself, back when he was a state legislator.
8. Akron, Ohio
Cost-of-living grade for this city: A-
Estimated population: 189,000 as of 2022
Akron has been dubbed the “Rubber Capital of the World” thanks to the 1898 founding here of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. The city’s name comes from the Greek word for “peak.”
7. Toledo, Ohio
Cost-of-living grade for this city: A-
Estimated population: 266,000 as of 2022
Toledo sits at the western tip of Lake Erie, along Ohio’s border with Michigan. The phrase “Holy Toledo!” comes not from this city but from the far-older Spanish one.
6. Wichita Falls, Texas
Cost-of-living grade for this city: A-
Estimated population: 103,000 as of 2022
There’s a military presence in Wichita Falls, as Sheppard Air Force Base is located just north of the central business district. The city’s namesake waterfall actually washed out in a flood in the 1800s, but the city built a new version in 1987 (pictured) along the Wichita River that’s a favorite backdrop for wedding photos.
5. Dayton, Ohio
Cost-of-living grade for this city: A-
Estimated population: 136,000 as of 2022
There’s a ton to do and see daily in Dayton, a big city with a suburban feel. The city is home to the Dayton Ballet, Dayton Philharmonic and Dayton Opera, as well as the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force and the Dayton Art Institute.
4. Fort Wayne, Indiana
Cost-of-living grade for this city: A-
Estimated population: 268,000 as of 2022
Fort Wayne is Indiana’s second-largest city, after state capital Indianapolis. It may be inexpensive to live here, but you can still enjoy plenty of cultural attractions as the city is home to the Fort Wayne Ballet, the Fort Wayne Museum of Art and the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory.
3. Evansville, Indiana
Cost-of-living grade for this city: A-
Estimated population: 116,000 as of 2022
Evansville is the third-largest city in the Hoosier State, following Indianapolis and Fort Wayne. It’s home to the University of Evansville and the larger University of Southern Indiana.
2. Brownsville, Texas
Cost-of-living grade for this city: A-
Estimated population: 189,000 as of 2022
Brownsville sits at the southern tip of Texas on the U.S.-Mexico border, along the western coast of the Gulf of Mexico. With an area of about 150 square miles, it is the largest city in the Rio Grande Valley.
1. South Bend, Indiana
Cost-of-living grade for this city: A-
Estimated population: 103,000 as of 2022
If you’re a fan of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, you certainly have heard of South Bend. The University of Notre Dame was founded there in 1842, and it’s consistently ranked high among American universities. If football’s not your game, Notre Dame also boasts the Snite Museum of Art and hosts the annual Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival.
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