25 US Cities With Low Livability Scores — and How Much It Costs To Live in Each
Written by
Nicole Spector
Edited by
Zuri Anderson
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The cost of living in the United States just keeps going up, and many Americans are pinned living paycheck to paycheck. Often, the more “livable” your city is (think low crime rate, reputable public schools and good air quality), the higher your costs of living, as outlined by AARP. This doesn’t mean you won’t still spend a fortune to live in a less desirable city, however.
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To get a fuller picture of the prices associated with living in areas that aren’t exactly the nicest, GOBankingRates analyzed cities across the country with the lowest livability indexes to find the average cost of living. Here’s a look at 25 cities with livability scores of 53 (out of 100) or lower — and how much you’ll need to make to get by in each.
San Tan Valley, Arizona
- Population: 101,207
- Household median income: $88,466
- Total annual cost of living: $52,795
- Livability score: 53
Lathrop, California
- Population: 29,633
- Household median income: $108,732
- Total annual cost of living: $72,887
- Livability score: 53
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Bloomington, California
- Population: 23,051
- Household median income: $74,414
- Total annual cost of living: $62,235
- Livability score: 53
Prichard, Alabama
- Population: 19,353
- Household median income: $36,110
- Total annual cost of living: $27,037
- Livability score: 53
Castaic, California
- Population: 15,243
- Household median income: $29,781
- Total annual cost of living: $38,993
- Livability score: 53
Brunswick, Georgia
- Population: 15,243
- Household median income: $29,781
- Total annual cost of living: $38,993
- Livability score: 53
Oxnard, California
- Population: 202,279
- Household median income: $90,409
- Total annual cost of living: $77,458
- Livability score: 52
Whittier, California
- Population: 86,459
- Household median income: $89,686
- Total annual cost of living: $83,856
- Livability score: 52
Madera, California
- Population: 66,784
- Household median income: $61,626
- Total annual cost of living: $51,697
- Livability score: 52
Santa Ana, California
- Population: 311,379
- Household median income: $84,210
- Total annual cost of living: $84,444
- Livability score: 51
Spanish Lake, Missouri
- Population: 18,051
- Household median income: $49,639
- Total annual cost of living: $33,089
- Livability score: 51
McKinleyville, California
- Population: 16,913
- Household median income: $68,239
- Total annual cost of living: $57,408
- Livability score: 51
Americus, Georgia
- Population: 16,020
- Household median income: $36,498
- Total annual cost of living: $30,099
- Livability score: 51
Delano, California
- Population: 50,498
- Household median income: $53,639
- Total annual cost of living: $46,063
- Livability score: 49
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
- Population: 41,172
- Household median income: $39,411
- Total annual cost of living: $26,645
- Livability score: 49
Corcoran, California
- Population: 101,207
- Household median income: $88,466
- Total annual cost of living: $52,795
- Livability score: 53
Santa Fe Springs, California
- Population: 22,808
- Household median income: $53,103
- Total annual cost of living: $41,364
- Livability score: 49
Phelan, California
- Population: 18,272
- Household median income: $74,853
- Total annual cost of living: $56,806
- Livability score: 49
Rowland Heights, California
- Population: 47,209
- Household median income: $85,842
- Total annual cost of living: $94,128
- Livability score: 48
Rosamond, California
- Population: 20,654
- Household median income: $77,318
- Total annual cost of living: $53,145
- Livability score: 48
Coachella, California
- Population: 42,279
- Household median income: $52,466
- Total annual cost of living: $54,507
- Livability score: 47
Chaparral, New Mexico
- Population: 15,290
- Household median income: $44,219
- Total annual cost of living: $34,993
- Livability score: 45
Wasco, California
- Population: 26,317
- Household median income: $48,109
- Total annual cost of living: $45,914
- Livability score: 44
Arvin, California
- Population: 19,613
- Household median income: $47,997
- Total annual cost of living: $44,576
- Livability score: 43
Fallbrook, California
- Population: 33,710
- Household median income: $78,479
- Total annual cost of living: $88,075
- Livability score: 42
Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed cities across the country with the lowest livability indexes to find the average cost of living. First GOBankingRates found the lowest livability cities with a livability index of 55 and under, as sourced from AreaVibes. The livability index represents a wide range of factors for a location, coinciding with the city’s quality of life. For each city a number of factors were sourced including total population, population ages 65 and over, total households, and household median income – all sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey, the cost of living indexes as sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces, the livability index as sourced from AreaVibes, and the single family home value as sourced from Zillow Home Value Index. All locations with a population under 15,000 were removed for this study. Using the average home value, assuming a 10% down payment, and using the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data, the average mortgage cost was calculated for each city. Using the cost of living indexes and using the national average expenditure costs as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey for all residents the average expenditure costs was calculated. Using the mortgage and expenditure costs the total cost of living was calculated. All data was collected on and is up to date as of Aug. 14, 2024.
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