10 Most Affordable Cities in the South If You Make Under $100,000

The most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data found that the typical American household spends $72,967 annually — a 9% increase from the year prior. But this is just the average, and your actual spending will depend heavily on your lifestyle and the local cost of living.

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the real median household income is $74,580. What this means is that half of all households earn more while half earn less (adjusted for inflation). Given the average yearly spending, this is about on par with what’s needed to live — though those who earn less may struggle more to make ends meet.

The good news is that the cost of living in certain Southern cities is much lower than the national average. So, if your work isn’t dependent on location and you’re looking for a cheaper place to live, you have options. Many of these will be smaller towns — most ranging from around 2,000 to 15,000 in size — but this might not be a bad thing if you’re also interested in a quieter lifestyle or more rural vibe.

GOBankingRates compiled data from Sperling’s BestPlaces, Zillow, the BLS, the U.S. Census and other sources to determine the most affordable cities in the South for those who make less than $100,000. Here are the results, ranked from least to most affordable.

• Average home value: $254,394
• Average household income: $74,955
• Average monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $3,371
• Total annual cost of living: $40,456
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $80,912
• Livability: 91
• Overall rank: 4/10

• Average home value: $177,972
• Average household income: $97,998
• Average monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,883
• Total annual cost of living: $34,595
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $69,189
• Livability: 83
• Overall rank: 6/10

• Average home value: $170,314
• Average household income: $63,776
• Average monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,779
• Total annual cost of living: $33,345
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $66,690
• Livability: 84
• Overall rank: 2/10

• Average home value: $146,303
• Average household income: $66,628
• Average monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,655
• Total annual cost of living: $31,855
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $63,710
• Livability: 78
• Overall rank: 9/10

• Average home value: $141,380
• Average household income: $64,873
• Average monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,627
• Total annual cost of living: $31,519
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $63,039
• Livability: 78
• Overall rank: 8/10

• Average home value: $148,417
• Average household income: $61,042
• Average monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,615
• Total annual cost of living: $31,383
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $62,765
• Livability: 78
• Overall rank: 3/10

• Average home value: $134,440
• Average household income: $81,957
• Monthly average expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,516
• Total annual cost of living: $30,189
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $60,379
• Livability: 81
• Overall rank: 1/10

• Average home value: $107,254
• Average household income: $66,320
• Average monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,339
• Total annual cost of living: $28,070
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $56,139
• Livability: 70
• Overall rank: 7/10

• Average home value: $70,865
• Average household income: $81,887
• Average monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,209
• Total annual cost of living: $26,507
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $53,015
• Livability: 73
• Overall rank: 10/10

• Average home value: $60,949
• Average household income: $45,066
• Average monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,129
• Total annual cost of living: $25,547
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $51,095
• Livability: 73
• Overall rank: 5/10

Please note all images are for representational purposes only and may not feature the specific city described above.

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed cities to find the most affordable cities if you make under $100,000. First GOBankingRates found data for each city including: total population, total household, household median income and household mean income all sourced from the US Census American Community Survey. For each city the cost-of-living indexes were sourced from Sperlings BestPlaces and using the national average cost of expenditures for all residents as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2022 Consumer Expenditure Survey, the average expenditure costs for each city can be calculated. The average single family home value for May 2024 was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index for each city and assuming a 10% downpayment and using the National Average 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage, as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data, the average mortgage cost for each city can be calculated. The mortgage and expenditures can be used to calculate the total monthly and annual cost of living. All locations with an annual total cost of living over $100,000 were removed for this study. For each remaining city the livability index was sourced from AreaVibes. Using the 50/30/20 financial rule that states that needs shouldn’t be more than 50% of monthly income, the monthly total cost of living was doubled to find the income needed to live comfortably. The monthly cost of expenditures were scored and weighted at 1.00, the monthly cost of mortgage was scored and weighted at 1.00, and the livability index was scored and weighted at 1.00. All the scores were summed and sorted to show the most affordable places to live if you make under $100,000. All data was collected on and is up to date as of June 28th, 2024.