The 25 Best Affordable Places to Live in the U.S. in 2019

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Your ability to be financially comfortable is a key part of deciding where you want to live. Based on a survey of more than 2,000 U.S. residents on the importance of various factors in determining where to live, U.S. News weighted value at 25% – making it one of the key metrics used to calculate the Best Places to Live. To pinpoint the most affordable places on the list, we looked at what portion of the median annual household income goes toward the average cost to own or rent a home, plus the typical cost of utilities and taxes.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 20
Metro Population: 2,427,024
Median Annual Salary: $50,150
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 21.77%

Charlotte takes the No. 25 spot on the list, with residents spending just 21.77% of their household income on housing expenses. At $50,150, the median annual salary for Charlotte residents just about matches the national average of $50,620.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 81
Metro Population: 2,804,998
Median Annual Salary: $49,180
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 21.53%

Missouri’s largest metro area offers more affordability compared with other places in the U.S. of the same size. For instance, Baltimore and Tampa, Florida, can’t match the 21.53% cost of living compared to household income that St. Louis offers.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 88
Metro Population: 730,346
Median Annual Salary: $43,780
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 21.52%

The capital of Arkansas is the 23rd-most affordable place to live on our list, with a blended annual household income, which includes household income for both renters and homeowners, of $55,911. After housing costs are covered, Little Rock residents typically keep more than 78% of their income to dedicate to other expenses.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 54
Metro Population: 659,262
Median Annual Salary: $49,850
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 21.51%

This upstate New York metro area is a far more affordable living option compared to New York City, one of the most expensive places to live in the U.S. Syracuse is also one of the few metro areas that's not located in Middle America in the 25 Best Affordable Places to Live list.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 6
Metro Population: 3,526,149
Median Annual Salary: $56,030
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 21.5%

Minneapolis-St. Paul is the most populous metro area on the 25 Best Affordable Places to Live list. Not only are residents spending a smaller portion of their household income on housing – just 21.5% – they’re also bringing home more money. The median annual salary is $56,030.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 29
Metro Population: 500,689
Median Annual Salary: $43,270
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 21.49%

Lexington-Fayette has deep roots in the equestrian and agriculture industries, with plenty of farmland just outside the city centers. This helps keep the metro area’s cost of living low, at just 21.49% of the household income.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 10
Metro Population: 1,824,266
Median Annual Salary: $53,788
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 21.47%

Referred to as the Research Triangle on account of the plethora of research companies and major universities based in the area – including Duke University, the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University – Raleigh and Durham enjoy a relatively low cost of living. Residents spend just 21.47% of their household income on living costs.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 83
Metro Population: 977,869
Median Annual Salary: $45,260
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 21.45%

Residents of the Tulsa area spend just 21.45% of the median household income on the cost of living. The overall cost of owning a home in Tulsa is low as well: The median home price is just $149,000, according to Zillow, which is well below the national average of $227,025.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 22
Metro Population: 872,463
Median Annual Salary: $43,230
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 21.44%

Ranking No. 22 on the overall Best Places to Live list, Greenville enjoys a low cost of living with residents spending just 21.44% of the median household income on housing. And a steadily growing number of people are able to benefit from this low cost of living: Greenville's population grew by 4.9% due to net migration between 2013 and 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 49
Metro Population: 2,088,830
Median Annual Salary: $49,460
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 21.43%

This metro area that straddles both Missouri and Kansas is home to more than 2 million residents, but it still maintains greater affordability than most major metro areas. Kansas City residents dedicate just 21.43% of their household income to the cost of living.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 79
Metro Population: 642,339
Median Annual Salary: $43,880
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 21.42%

While there are more than 600,000 residents in this Kansas metro area, Wichita maintains a small-town feel – with a low cost of living to match. Residents use just 25.88% of their household income to cover rent or mortgage payments, utilities and taxes.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 32
Metro Population: 914,190
Median Annual Salary: $47,660
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 21.29%

With a median annual salary of $47,660, Omaha takes the No. 14 spot. The largest metro area in Nebraska, which ranked a bit higher at No. 8 last year, has seen a slight increase in the cost of living. Still, residents spend just 21.29% of their household income on housing.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 97
Metro Population: 548,821
Median Annual Salary: $41,360
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 21.18%

With a little more than a half-million residents, the Youngstown metro area has a cost of living that requires 21.18% of the median household income. The median home price for the metro area is low as well, at just $86,850, more than $140,000 below the national average.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 64
Metro Population: 1,278,203
Median Annual Salary: $45,100
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 21.11%

As the No. 15 Best Affordable Place to Live in 2018, Louisville has climbed three spots to rank 12th on the list this year. With a median annual salary of $45,100, Louisville residents spend 21.11% of their household income on living expenses.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 52
Metro Population: 1,136,670
Median Annual Salary: $48,180
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 21.11%

Beating Louisville by a ten-thousandth of a percent for the portion of income that goes toward housing, Buffalo is the second upstate New York metro area to make the top 25. Residents in the Buffalo area benefit from a low cost of living, with just 21.11% of the median household income spent on living expenses.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 39
Metro Population: 2,156,723
Median Annual Salary: $48,890
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 21%

Cincinnati residents spend slightly less than Buffalonians on housing costs. The typical cost of living is 21% of the median household income.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 109
Metro Population: 828,741
Median Annual Salary: $44,500
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 20.79%

It may be ranked No. 109 on the overall Best Places to Live list, but Baton Rouge ranks high when it comes to affordability. Baton Rouge residents spend just 20.79% of their income on housing costs.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 96
Metro Population: 487,633
Median Annual Salary: $39,940
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 20.76%

The second Louisiana metro area on the Best Affordable Places to Live list, Lafayette has a cost of living of just 20.76% of the median household income. The low cost of living helps balance out the area's lower median annual salary, which at $39,940 is more than $10,000 below the national average.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 38
Metro Population: 1,989,032
Median Annual Salary: $48,030
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 20.72%

Indianapolis is one of two Indiana metro area to crack the top 10 of the Best Affordable Places to Live list. Indianapolis residents spend just 20.72% of their household income on rent, mortgage payments, utilities and taxes.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 13
Metro Population: 1,039,182
Median Annual Salary: $44,770
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 20.68%

Money goes further in Grand Rapids than most parts of the U.S. While the median annual salary is below the national average of $50,620, metro area residents spend just 20.68% of the median household income on living expenses.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 50
Metro Population: 2,348,143
Median Annual Salary: $48,580
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 20.51%

Located in the western part of Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh enjoys a more affordable cost of living than Philadelphia to the east. Residents of the Steel City and its surrounding area spend just 20.51% of their household income on rent or mortgage payments and utilities.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 4
Metro Population: 514,166
Median Annual Salary: $45,830
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 20.44%

Fayetteville continues to grow in population – having increased by 6.94% between 2013 and 2017 due to net migration alone – but the area maintains a low cost of living. Residents spend just one-fifth of their household income on housing costs.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 5
Metro Population: 623,113
Median Annual Salary: $50,600
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 20.11%

Des Moines has long been known for its low cost of living. After taking the top spot in the Best Affordable Places to Live in the U.S. ranking in 2016 and 2017, the capital of Iowa holds onto its No. 3 spot from last year. Des Moines residents spend just 20.11% of the median annual household income on living costs.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 40
Metro Population: 429,060
Median Annual Salary: $43,590
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 19.57%

Residents of Fort Wayne, one of the least-populated metro areas in the Best Places to Live ranking with under 500,000 residents, benefit from spending less on housing. The cost of living in Fort Wayne is just 19.57% of the median household income.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 11
Metro Population: 444,908
Median Annual Salary: $53,600
Income Spent on Living Expenses: 19.3%

Huntsville is the most affordable place to live out of the 125 most populous metro areas in the U.S. for the second year in a row. An above-average median annual salary and low cost of living mean Huntsville residents are keeping more money in their pockets to devote to other things. Just 19.3% of the median household income in Huntsville goes toward housing costs.

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• Huntsville, Alabama
• Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Des Moines, Iowa
• Fayetteville, Arkansas
• Pittsburgh
• Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Indianapolis
• Lafayette, Louisiana
• Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Cincinnati
• Buffalo, New York
• Louisville, Kentucky
• Youngstown, Ohio
• Omaha, Nebraska
• Wichita, Kansas
• Kansas City, Missouri
• Greenville, South Carolina
• Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina
• Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky
• Minneapolis-St. Paul
• Syracuse, New York
• Little Rock, Arkansas
• St. Louis
• Charlotte, North Carolina