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25 Cheap Cities With High Livability Scores You May Have Never Heard Of

October 21, 2024

6 min Read

Written by Nicole Spector

Edited by Molly Sullivan

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When it comes to deciding where to live (if you have the luxury to decide), you probably are drawn to a few core features: reasonable home prices, low crime rates and easy access to essentials like healthcare and groceries. You may be especially drawn to these features if you have a family.

But when deciding, you must know where to look. Many big and well-known cities don’t check off all these boxes. Housing is often super expensive and low crime rates are hard to come by in a bustling metro. It’s useful to expand your search and consider looking into affordable cities that may, until now, be totally unfamiliar. You might just find a nice life for a lot less money than you’d find in a more popular place.

In a new study, GOBankingRates analyzed cities with a small population and high livability to find cheap places to live that you may not have heard of before.

25. Sherwood, Ohio

Total population: 3,408
Median household income: $140,788
Average value of a single-family home: $331,288
Total cost of living annually: $44,340
Livability: 86

24. Tangelo Park, Florida

Total population: 2,371
Median household income: $55,227
Average value of a single-family home: $262,264
Total cost of living annually: $44,262
Livability: 87

23. Clawson, Michigan

Total population: 11,388
Median household income: $82,713
Average value of a single-family home: $283,077
Total cost of living annually: $43,938
Livability: 92

22. Decorah, Iowa

Total population: 7,611
Median household income: $57,939
Average value of a single-family home: $289,533
Total cost of living annually: $43,695
Livability: 85

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21. Liverpool, New York

Total population: 2,331
Median household income: $70,556
Average value of a single-family home: $262,773
Total cost of living annually: $43,330
Livability: 85

20. Shiner, Texas

Total population: 2,095
Median household income: $90,119
Average value of a single-family home: $296,407
Total cost of living annually: $42,647
Livability: 85

19. Orange City, Iowa

Total population: 6,278
Median household income: $77,500
Average value of a single-family home: $288,943
Total cost of living annually: $42,324
Livability: 85

18. Maplewood, Missouri

Total population: 4,329
Median household income: $58,448
Average value of a single-family home: $259,580
Total cost of living annually: $42,324
Livability: 87

17. East Syracuse, New York

Total population: 3,065
Median household income: $52,794
Average value of a single-family home: $227,856
Total cost of living annually: $41,044
Livability: 88

16. Little Chute, Wisconsin

Total population: 11,798
Median household income: $69,102
Average value of a single-family home: $266,078
Total cost of living annually: $40,775
Livability: 87

15. University Heights, Ohio

Total population: 13,649
Median household income: $91,960
Average value of a single-family home: $263,452
Total cost of living annually: $40,680
Livability: 93

14. Deer Park, Ohio

Total population: 5,399
Median household income: $77,710
Average value of a single-family home: $250,364
Total cost of living annually: $40,621
Livability: 86

13. Kimberly, Wisconsin

Total population: 7,331
Median household income: $65,061
Average value of a single-family home: $255,410
Total cost of living annually: $40,116
Livability: 87

12. Bluffton, Ohio

Total population: 3,540
Median household income: $74,620
Average value of a single-family home: $257,106
Total cost of living annually: $39,738
Livability: 91

11. Highland Heights, Kentucky

Total population: 6,566
Median household income: $44,910
Average value of a single-family home: $215,787
Total cost of living annually: $39,058
Livability: 85

10. Mogadore, Ohio

Total population: 3,838
Median household income: $80,099
Average value of a single-family home: $245,219
Total cost of living annually: $39,012
Livability: 86

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9. Roosevelt Park, Michigan

Total population: 4,139
Median household income: $62,407
Average value of a single-family home: $233,151
Total cost of living annually: $38,692
Livability: 85

8. Woodlawn, Kentucky

Total population: 179
Median household income: $88,125
Average value of a single-family home: $209,169
Total cost of living annually: $38,535
Livability: 86

7. Ebensburg, Pennsylvania

Total population: 3,382
Median household income: $56,875
Average value of a single-family home: $197,261
Total cost of living annually: $37,386
Livability: 85

6. Luverne, Minnesota

Total population: 4,910
Median household income: $66,394
Average value of a single-family home: $244,386
Total cost of living annually: $37,145
Livability: 85

5. Holdrege, Nebraska

Total population: 5,494
Median household income: $58,375
Average value of a single-family home: $169,212
Total cost of living annually: $35,895
Livability: 87

4. Jerome, Illinois

Total population: 2,194
Median household income: $52,083
Average value of a single-family home: $139,480
Total cost of living annually: $32,847
Livability: 92

3. Wellington, Kentucky

Total population: 443
Median household income: $103,333
Average value of a single-family home: $123,996
Total cost of living annually: $32,561
Livability: 86

2. Meadville, Pennsylvania

Total population: 12,929
Median household income: $46,157
Average value of a single-family home: $149,502
Total cost of living annually: $32,334
Livability: 85

1. Nutter Fort, West Virginia

Total population: 1,700
Median household income: $56,125
Average value of a single-family home: $125,675
Total cost of living annually: $32,174
Livability: 87

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed cities with a small population and high livability to find cheap places to live that you may not have heard of before. First, GOBankingRates found the highest livability cities as sourced from AreaVibes.com. Each city had to have a livability index of at least 85, representing the highest quality of life locations. For each location, a number of factors were found including; total population, population ages 65 and over, total households, and household median income all sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. Using this data, the percentage of the population ages 65 and over can be calculated. The cost of living indexes were sourced from Sperlings BestPlaces and include the grocery, healthcare, housing, utilities, transportation and miscellaneous cost of living indexes. Using the cost of living indexes and the national average expenditure costs, as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, the expenditure cost for each location can be calculated. The average single-family home value was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index for September 2024. Using the average single-family 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 can be calculated. The average mortgage and expenditure costs can be used to calculate the total cost of living. To qualify for this study the city had to have a livability of at least 85 and a population of under 15,000. The cities were sorted to show the cheapest cost of living within these high livability locations, representing the cheapest places to live with a high quality of life that you may not have heard of before. All data was collected on and is up to date as of Oct. 15, 2024.

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