10 Most Affordable Cities in the Midwest If You Make Less Than $100,000

According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, the average American household spends $72,967 a year. This is a 9% increase from the previous year — and one of the many signs that costs are ever on the rise.

But even though costs seem to increase every year, there are quite a few areas where you can live comfortably if you make less than $100,000 annually. This includes smaller cities — those with populations of anywhere between 2,000 and 60,000 — in the Midwestern states of Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

As a general rule, Midwestern states tend to be cheaper than other parts of the country. While some cities are outliers — and therefore cost much more than you might expect — everything from groceries and transportation to housing and healthcare tends to be below the national average.

This is especially good news if you’re location-flexible and looking to spend less while getting more. And while you might still need to give up some things — like easy access to the beach or the amenities of major cities — what you gain could very well be worth it.

But which Midwestern cities are the most affordable? GOBankingRates compiled data from several sources, including Zillow, the BLS, Sperling’s BestPlaces, and the U.S. Census American Community Survey to find out.

These are the 10 most affordable cities in the Midwest if you earn less than $100,000 — ranked from least to most affordable.

• Total population: 13,649
• Average home value: $260,123
• Household median income: $91,960
• Household average income: $114,973
• Monthly average expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,813
• Monthly average expenditures (incl. mortgage): $3,363
• Total annual cost of living: $40,350
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $80,701
• Livability: 93

• Total population: 30,157
• Average home value: $250,412
• Household median income: $41,346
• Household average income: $66,105
• Monthly average expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,780
• Monthly average expenditures (incl. mortgage): $3,272
• Total annual cost of living: $39,262
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $78,524
• Livability: 89

• Total population: 39,906
• Average home value: $216,754
• Household median income: $59,259
• Household average income: $78,497
• Monthly average expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,809
• Monthly average expenditures (incl. mortgage): $3,100
• Total annual cost of living: $37,205
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $74,409
• Livability: 90

• Total population: 14,055
• Average home value: $227,594
• Household median income: $59,985
• Household average income: $78,266
• Monthly average expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,665
• Monthly average expenditures (incl. mortgage): $3,021
• Total annual cost of living: $36,250
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $72,501
• Livability: 82

• Total population: 14,108
• Average home value: $190,691
• Household median income: $48,738
• Household average income: $66,985
• Monthly average expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,633
• Monthly average expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,769
• Total annual cost of living: $33,224
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $66,449
• Livability: 82

• Total population: 17,894
• Average home value: $174,762
• Household median income: $48,869
• Household average income: $67,079
• Monthly average expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,640
• Monthly average expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,681
• Total annual cost of living: $32,178
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $64,355
• Livability: 83

• Total population: 1,828
• Average home value: $152,344
• Household median income: $60,096
• Household average income: $78,134
• Monthly average expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,627
• Monthly average expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,535
• Total annual cost of living: $30,415
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $60,830
• Livability: 76

• Total population: 24,964
• Average home value: $134,215
• Household median income: $47,375
• Household average income: $61,287
• Monthly average expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,644
• Monthly average expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,443
• Total annual cost of living: $29,319
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $58,638
• Livability: 87

• Total population: 2,006
• Average home value: $120,993
• Household median income: $63,201
• Household average income: $75,134
• Monthly average expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,666
• Monthly average expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,386
• Total annual cost of living: $28,636
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $57,272
• Livability: 77

Pictured: Minneapolis

• Total population: 60,048
• Average home value: $58,960
• Household median income: $34,295
• Household average income: $46,244
• Monthly average expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,749
• Monthly average expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,100
• Total annual cost of living: $25,199
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $50,397
• Livability: 81

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 U.S. Census American Community Survey. For each city, the cost of living indexes were sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces. Using the national average expenditures for all residents as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2022 Consumer Expenditure Survey, the average expenditure costs for each city were calculated. The average single family home value for May 2024 was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index for each city. Assuming a 10% down payment and using the national average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage via Federal Reserve Economic Data, the average mortgage cost for each city was calculated. The mortgage and expenditures were 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 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, and the monthly total cost of living was doubled to find the income needed to live comfortably. The monthly expenditures were scored and weighted at 1.00, the monthly mortgage was scored and weighted at 1.00, and the livability index was scored and weighted at 1.00. All 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 28, 2024.