Utilities, transportation costs and healthcare are also bargains. Thrifty types should volunteer to check out Knoxville and its greater metro area, one of three Tennessee cities to make the list for inexpensive living. The city is notable for its across-the-board affordability for everything from food to transportation, according to the Cost of Living Index. Consider Knoxville, the original state capital before Nashville, a good mix of city and country living.
The Tennessee River runs through downtown. The city was a strategic objective in the Civil War, so history buffs can visit a number of battlefields nearby, too. Fortunately, low living costs help cushion the blow of downturns. Indeed, the metro area's poverty rate of Area residents spend about a third less on overall housing costs.
Folks save significant dollars on transportation and grocery items, as well, but healthcare costs the same as what the typical American pays. If you're just passing through, the Old Silk Stocking Neighborhood, the Seiberling Mansion and the Elwood Haynes Museum are just a few architectural and historical gems that are not to be missed.
It used to be that Joplin, at least to outsiders, was probably best known as a place where Depression-era bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde hid out for a time. The city and greater metro area has since recovered from the costliest single tornado in modern U.
Its two major hospitals serve a four-state area that includes Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Groceries, healthcare and transportation costs are comparatively low, as well. Utilities, however, run slightly above the U. Prescription drugs, pizza and phone bills are a bit more expensive too. About an hour's drive east from Birmingham sits the Anniston metro area. The city's proximity to the Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge makes it a good jumping off point for hikers, mountain bikers and other outdoorsy types.
The city also has its quirks. It's home to the world's largest office chair — a foot-tall seat that was once recognized by Guinness World Records. Anniston's low cost of living puts it among the 10 cheapest U.
That said, household incomes and home values are higher in other parts of Calhoun County, of which Anniston is the county seat. Although the income picture could be brighter, Anniston has its charms, including Victorian homes and historic churches among other architectural gems. Amarilloans are known for their love of high-school football, hot sauce and thick steaks. They also enjoy savings on a wide range of goods and services.
Need to get your eyes checked? But the biggest way folks in this part of the Texas Panhandle save money is by what they shell out for housing. It's also encouraging that Amarillo's economy has bounced back comparatively well since the short-but-sharp recession of For example, the metro area's unemployment rate of 3.
Metro Jackson is a surprisingly eclectic city that holds appeal for Civil War buffs, blues music aficionados and even ballet fans. Every four years, dancers from around the world flock to Jackson for the two-week USA International Ballet Competition to compete for medals, scholarships and spots in ballet companies. Similar competitions are held only in Russia, Bulgaria and Finland. The state capital also happens to be a great place for retirees. The Milken Institute ranks Jackson eighth among the best large cities for successful aging due to its affordability and an abundance of nurses, nurse practitioners and orthopedic surgeons, as well as caregiving options and geriatric facilities.
Transportation expenses are also a big bargain. Healthcare costs, however, are about in line with the U. McAllen, which is about 30 miles west of Harlingen on the Rio Grande, may be one of the cheapest cities in the U. The poverty rate in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro area is That's about double the Texas rate of The unemployment rate also remains stubbornly high compared with state and national levels.
On the plus side, McAllen is famous for bird watching because of its location on a major migration route. The Quinta Mazatlan, a luxury birdhouse with more than 15 acres of birding habitat, is not to be missed.
And McAllen is indeed one of the cheapest U. One of the few things residents pay a little extra for is utilities, which isn't surprising given that temperatures routinely soar into the high 90s during the summer months. Harlingen sits on the southernmost tip of Texas, with the Rio Grande to the south and the Gulf of Mexico to the east.
The Brownsville-Harlingen metro area is a hardscrabble place where That's about twice the poverty rate for Texas as a whole. Comparatively low median household income and high unemployment are other grim aspects of the metro area's economy. However, just about everything, from groceries to gasoline, costs less in Harlingen.
However, as with not-too-distant neighbor McAllen, utility bills run a bit high, or In addition to its proximity to Mexico, Harlingen is about an hour's drive to the beaches of South Padre Island. Kalamazoo is the cheapest city in the U. Sadly, that's very much a necessity for too many of its residents. In the city of Kalamazoo proper pop. At the metro level, which includes Portage, Michigan, the figure comes to The U. Western Michigan University, with its multiple campuses and research facilities, is a major driver of the local economy.
As for recreational activities, the Kalamazoo Nature Center hosts free daily activities. Nearby parks offer a combined miles of trails and three swimming beaches. If you want to get away to the big city, Chicago is less than three hours by car if traffic is merciful. The Best T. Rowe Price Funds for k Retirement Savers.
Skip to header Skip to main content Skip to footer. Home real estate places to live. Read on for our latest list of the cheapest U. Fort Wayne, Indiana Getty Images. Where Millionaires Live in America. Savannah, Georgia Getty Images. Cities With the Cheapest Apartment Rents.
Lynchburg, Virginia Getty Images. The 10 "Real" Richest Counties in the U. Mobile, Alabama Getty Images. Want to drill down even further? Since , C2ER has been collecting and publishing this cost of living index data at the local level in order to help people compare cities across the country.
In other words, the citizens of these top-ranking places have opportunities to make money, balanced with a low cost of living from groceries to housing. Set outside Austin, Cedar Park made it to the top of the list, due to its low cost of living index 7. And it has some other things going for it: beautiful public spaces including a city sculpture garden , great amenities including a winery and lots of job opportunities in three major fields computers and mathematics, architecture and engineering, business and financial operations.
To see how the rest of the states ranked, you can access the full list here. The main street in Union Springs, Alabama, which was named the most affordable state to live in Here are the top 10 most affordable cities to live in the U. This is a BETA experience.
You may opt-out by clicking here. More From Forbes. Nov 10, , pm EST. Nov 10, , am EST. Moreover, no matter where in the U. Some nations have a very low cost of living, which can make them attractive destinations for ex-pats, retirees, and others interested in reducing their expenses.
Those costs are then compared to the price of the same necessities in a baseline city, such as New York City, U. Finally, the numbers for each region in a given country are averaged to enable nation-to-nation comparisons.
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