20 US Cities Where You Can Safely and Affordably Live Downtown

In some cities across the United States, living downtown isn’t particularly desirable for many people.

Downtown real estate can often be expensive, especially if most of a city’s cultural, entertainment and culinary options are there. Other downtowns are just the opposite, run-down areas where heavy industry has come and gone, leaving elevated crime rates in their wake.

But there are still plenty of cities in America that have the idyllic combination of being both affordable and safe. GOBankingRates set out to find just which cities those are by drawing data from sources ranging from the FBI and the U.S. Census Bureau to Numbeo and Google Maps. Results across all of these factors were calculated, sorted and weighted. Because data was compiled by ZIP code, you’ll find that some cities may appear more than once.

Here are the 20 U.S. cities where the downtown area is still affordable and safe to live in.

• Total housing units: 11,174 
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,100 
• 3-bedroom rent: $1,867 
• Score (3-7): 5.7358

• Total housing units: 11,823 
• 1-bedroom rent: $2,300 
• 3-bedroom rent: $4,000 
• Score (3-7): 5.7453

• Total housing units: 12,402 
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,467 
• 3-bedroom rent: $2,200 
• Score (3-7): 5.7834

• Total housing units: 3,433 
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,588 
• 3-bedroom rent: $2,486 
• Score (3-7): 5.8116

• Total housing units: 18,451 
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,667 
• 3-bedroom rent: $2,833 
• Score (3-7): 5.8232

• Total housing units: 12,337 
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,300 
• 3-bedroom rent: $2,450 
• Score (3-7): 5.8388

• Total housing units: 12,278 
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,900
• 3-bedroom rent: $2,420
• Score (3-7): 5.8561

• Total housing units: 11,713 
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,467 
• 3-bedroom rent: $2,200 
• Score (3-7): 5.8632

• Total housing units: 11,832 
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,481 
• 3-bedroom rent: $2,083
• Score (3-7): 5.8918

• Total housing units: 16,402 
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,750
• 3-bedroom rent: $2,975
• Score (3-7): 5.9207

• Total housing units: 8,245
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,467 
• 3-bedroom rent: $2,200 
• Score (3-7): 5.9598

• Total housing units: 15,074 
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,125 
• 3-bedroom rent: $2,167 
• Score (3-7): 5.9620

• Total housing units: 16,043 
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,500 
• 3-bedroom rent: $1,800 
• Score (3-7): 5.9815

• Total housing units: 12,143 
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,550 
• 3-bedroom rent: $2,433 
• Score (3-7): 6.0761

• Total housing units: 28,773 
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,733 
• 3-bedroom rent: $2,575 
• Score (3-7): 6.0799

• Total housing units: 13,263 
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,125 
• 3-bedroom rent: $2,167
• Score (3-7): 6.0896

• Total housing units: 16,449 
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,900
• 3-bedroom rent: $3,300 
• Score (3-7): 6.1909

• Total housing units: 23,238 
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,734 
• 3-bedroom rent: $2,500 
• Score (3-7): 6.1958

• Total housing units: 23,822 
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,055 
• 3-bedroom rent: $1,733
• Score (3-7): 6.5242

• Total housing units: 11,518
• 1-bedroom rent: $1,436 
• 3-bedroom rent: $1,775 
• Score (3-7): 6.7200

Methodology: GOBankingRates used Google Maps, individual city websites and websites devoted specifically to a city’s downtown to determine the area considered “downtown” in each city in this study. ZIP codes were used to approximate downtown areas. With downtown ZIP codes identified, the study analyzed 95 downtowns in terms of the following criteria: (1) median selected monthly owner costs for units with a mortgage as sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates (data for ZCTAs used), (2) median gross rent for a one bedroom, (3) median gross rent for a three bedroom, (4) monthly average net income, (5) monthly cost of utilities, (6) monthly cost of public transport as sourced from Numbeo, (7) Property Crimes, and (8) violent crimes as sourced from FBI’s crime data explorer. The one bedroom and three bedroom rents were averaged to find a comfortable rent price to compare to. The violent and property crime rates were calculated into violent crime rate per 100,000 people and property crime rate per 100,000. The selected monthly owner cost was scored and weighted at 1.25, the average monthly net income was scored and weighted at 1.00, the average rent was scored and weighted at 1.00, the utilities cost was scored and weighted at 0.75, the public transport cost was scored and weighted at 0.75, the violent crime rate per 100,000 was scored and weighted at 1.25, and the property crime rate was scored and weighted at 1.25. All the scores were combined and sorted to show the safest and most affordable US cities where you can live downtown. All data was collected and is up to date as of Oct. 25, 2023.