6 Best Places To Live in 2026 If You’re Tired of Feeling Broke
Written by
Vance Cariaga
Edited by
Jenna Klaverweiden
Commitment to Our Readers
GOBankingRates' editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services - our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our products and services review methodology.
20 Years
Helping You Live Richer
Reviewed
by Experts
Trusted by
Millions of Readers
Homebuyers in the United States who are shocked by record-high prices aren’t getting much relief so far in 2026. Prices continue to tick higher, albeit at a slow rate.
The average home value nationwide as of Jan. 31 was $357,445, according to Zillow. That’s up 0.2% from the previous year. An analysis from Redfin found that U.S. home prices rose 1.1% year over year in January, selling for a median of $422,980.
But for house hunters in search of bargains, there are several good choices. Here’s a look at six of the best places to live in 2026 if you’re feeling broke.
1. Fort Wayne, Indiana
- Average home price: $234,437
- Cost-of-living score (vs. 100 national average): 82
Fort Wayne is one of the “most affordable midsized cities in America,” according to Ben Mizes, co-founder of Clever Offers and a licensed real estate agent.
“It has a diversified economy [and] is one of the few cities where the median house prices remain favorably placed with regard to the median income of the residents,” he told GOBankingRates.
2. Huntsville, Alabama
- Average home price: $280,326
- Cost-of-living score: 94.2
Sain Rhodes, a real estate specialist at Clever Offers, told GOBankingRates that in addition to affordable homes, Huntsville offers “lower grocery, utility, and transportation costs than its coastal competitors.”
Overall, it offers many positives for prospective residents. “The region demonstrates that you can have both a strong career and a low mortgage,” Rhodes said.
3. Oklahoma City
- Average home price: $202,648
- Cost-of-living score: 85.5
Oklahoma City offers affordability as well as a strong job market — especially in energy, aerospace, government and healthcare, said Ksenia Levina, founder and real estate expert at Vienna Property Investment, whose work includes researching U.S. real estate markets and helping international clients invest in U.S. properties.
That combination makes Oklahoma City a “stable market rather than a volatile one,” she told GOBankingRates.
4. Peoria, Illinois
- Average home price: $126,819
- Cost-of-living score: 75.6
One of Peoria’s big advantages is that people can “buy move-in-ready houses at prices that are a small fraction of what they would pay at other large Midwest cities,” Mizes said.
5. San Antonio
- Average home price: $245,251
- Cost-of-living score: 91.3
San Antonio offers “something unprecedented,” Rhodes said. “A primary-market price at a secondary-market value.”
This is made even better because of the state’s tax situation. “And because Texas has no income tax, that is money straight back into residents’ pockets every single year,” Rhodes said.
6. Toledo, Ohio
- Average home price: $124,491
- Cost-of-living score: 77.4
According to Levina, Toledo is one of the “few markets where an entry-level buyer can actually own a home … But it is the combination of affordable homes with available jobs in healthcare, logistics and manufacturing that attracts homebuyers.”
Editor’s note: Average home prices are from Zillow as of Jan. 31, 2026. Cost-of-living scores are from BestPlaces.
More From GOBankingRates
