15 Biggest Cities With the Cheapest Transportation Costs

It’s an expense we may not always think about when we consider the cost of living in any particular location, but for most people, it’s a big factor: transportation. The annual cost per person in 2023 was $12,295, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

As with just about every other cost-of-living expense, how much you’ll pay on transportation largely depends on where you live. So, which are the cities with the lowest transportation costs? To find out, GOBankingRates identified the top 100 major cities by population, using the U.S. Census American Community Survey, and then found the ones with the cheapest transportation costs.

Also see affordable cities where you do not need a car.

• Household median income: $87,544 
• Average annual mortgage cost: $18,784  
• Total average cost of living annually: $41,869 
• Average monthly transportation cost: $568 
• Average annual transportation cost: $6,815

• Household median income: $74,070 
• Average annual mortgage cost: $29,401   
• Total average cost of living annually: $52,995 
• Average monthly transportation cost: $566 
• Average annual transportation cost: $6,794 

• Household median income: $52,049  
• Average annual mortgage cost: $24,434    
• Total average cost of living annually: $47,111 
• Average monthly transportation cost: $560 
• Average annual transportation cost: $6,718  

• Household median income: $64,251 
• Average annual mortgage cost: $14,860    
• Total average cost of living annually: $38,525 
• Average monthly transportation cost: $553  
• Average annual transportation cost: $6,641

• Household median income: $79,026 
• Average annual mortgage cost: $33,343    
• Total average cost of living annually: $55,941 
• Average monthly transportation cost: $551  
• Average annual transportation cost: $6,613   

• Household median income: $48,090 
• Average annual mortgage cost: $10,786    
• Total average cost of living annually: $33,733 
• Average monthly transportation cost: $548   
• Average annual transportation cost: $6,572     

• Household median income: $55,710 
• Average annual mortgage cost: $16,063    
• Total average cost of living annually: $38,595 
• Average monthly transportation cost: $533  
• Average annual transportation cost: $6,391

• Household median income: $59,110 
• Average annual mortgage cost: $16,789   
• Total average cost of living annually: $39,452
• Average monthly transportation cost: $526  
• Average annual transportation cost: $6,314

• Household median income: $62,994  
• Average annual mortgage cost: $19,023 
• Total average cost of living annually: $41,888 
• Average monthly transportation cost: $522 
• Average annual transportation cost: $6,266

• Household median income: $56,648   
• Average annual mortgage cost: $15,052 
• Total average cost of living annually: $38,119 
• Average monthly transportation cost: $520  
• Average annual transportation cost: $6,238

• Household median income: $61,503   
• Average annual mortgage cost: $24,046 
• Total average cost of living annually: $45,876 
• Average monthly transportation cost: $518   
• Average annual transportation cost: $6,217

• Household median income: $65,256 
• Average annual mortgage cost: $17,398 
• Total average cost of living annually: $40,614 
• Average monthly transportation cost: $514   
• Average annual transportation cost: $6,168 

• Household median income: $78,631 
• Average annual mortgage cost: $32,647 
• Total average cost of living annually: $55,706 
• Average monthly transportation cost: $513   
• Average annual transportation cost: $6,161

• Household median income: $70,202 
• Average annual mortgage cost: $20,548 
• Total average cost of living annually: $44,250 
• Average monthly transportation cost: $473 
• Average annual transportation cost: $5,681

Methodology: GOBankingRates analyzed the top 50 major US cities by population to find the cheapest transportation costs. First GOBankingRates found the top 100 major cities by population using the U.S. Census American Community Survey, and found factors including total population, total households and household median income. The cost-of-living indexes were sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces, and the average expenditure costs for all residents were sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, including the transportation costs for ‘gasoline, other fuels and motor oil’ and ‘other vehicle expenses.’ The average single family household value for May 2024 was found from Zillow Home Value Index and the average mortgage cost was calculated using the national 30-year fixed mortgage rate as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data. Using the mortgage and expenditure costs, the monthly and annual total cost of living were calculated. The transportation costs were sorted to show the largest major cities with the cheapest transportation cost. All data was collected on and is up to date as of July 8, 2024.