Here’s the Cost of Living in the Least Expensive City in Every State

In the era of economic uncertainty that is 2025, finding every single creative way to save money is likely becoming the name of the game for many. Whether it’s shopping for the biggest sales, or belt tightening and not spending, or taking a side hustle, the instability created by a tariff-rattled economy along with the hangover of COVID-era inflation might have you looking for every financial corner to cut.

One potential way to save money is to decrease your rent, grocery costs and overall cost of living. How? By moving to a cheaper city in your state.

Recently, GOBankingRates consulted Zillow’s data on the 2,500 largest cities in America with regards to housing market size. From those cities, GOBankingRates located the ones with the lowest 2025 rent, along with low cost-of-living elements (such as groceries, healthcare, rent, transportation and utilities), selecting the lowest out of each of the 50 states. Wondering where the cheapest place to live in your state might be?

Also see the cost of living in every state.

• Annual cost of living: $31,807
• Annual rent: $9,000
• Annual groceries: $5,581

• Annual cost of living: $46,262
• Annual rent: $19,296
• Annual groceries: $7,403  

• Annual cost of living: $39,046
• Annual rent: $16,956
• Annual groceries: $5,775

• Annual cost of living: $32,020
• Annual rent: $10,992
• Annual groceries: $5,660  

• Annual cost of living: $39,321
• Annual rent: $15,024
• Annual groceries: $5,956

• Annual cost of living: $36,344
• Annual rent: $15,288
• Annual groceries: $6,089

• Annual cost of living: $42,706
• Annual rent: $16,908
• Annual groceries: $6,289

• Annual cost of living: $42,867
• Annual rent: $19,332
• Annual groceries: $6,259

• Annual cost of living: $39,727
• Annual rent: $17,100
• Annual groceries: $6,132  

• Annual cost of living: $32,048
• Annual rent: $10,200
• Annual groceries: $5,762 

• Annual cost of living: $58,317
• Annual rent: $26,652
• Annual groceries: $8,371

• Annual cost of living: $33,299
• Annual rent: $12,432
• Annual groceries: $5,581

• Annual cost of living: $31,245
• Annual rent: $8,448
• Annual groceries: $5,750

• Annual cost of living: $29,157
• Annual rent: $9,336
• Annual groceries: $5,502  

• Annual cost of living: $29,386
• Annual rent: $8,400
• Annual groceries: $5,775

• Annual cost of living: $29,877
• Annual rent: $8,676
• Annual groceries: $5,629

• Annual cost of living: $32,454
• Annual rent: $11,760
• Annual groceries: $5,756

• Annual cost of living: $33,595
• Annual rent: $11,712
• Annual groceries: $5,623

• Annual cost of living: $36,531
• Annual rent: $15,396
• Annual groceries: $6,325  

• Annual cost of living: $33,347
• Annual rent: $12,408
• Annual groceries: $6,120 

• Annual cost of living: $41,141
• Annual rent: $18,420
• Annual groceries: $6,362  

• Annual cost of living: $33,520
• Annual rent: $11,640
• Annual groceries: $5,357

• Annual cost of living: $30,132
• Annual rent: $10,512
• Annual groceries: $5,654

• Annual cost of living: $35,645
• Annual rent: $13,812
• Annual groceries: $5,799

• Annual cost of living: $29,662
• Annual rent: $8,196
• Annual groceries: $5,805

• Annual cost of living: $33,130
• Annual rent: $11,676
• Annual groceries: $6,059

• Annual cost of living: $34,130
• Annual rent: $10,740
• Annual groceries: $5,865

• Annual cost of living: $38,539
• Annual rent: $16,104
• Annual groceries: $6,089

• Annual cost of living: $43,374
• Annual rent: $20,856
• Annual groceries: $6,277

• Annual cost of living: $42,685
• Annual rent: $19,656
• Annual groceries: $6,120

• Annual cost of living: $32,853
• Annual rent: $13,740
• Annual groceries: $5,672

• Annual cost of living: $31,821
• Annual rent: $10,956
• Annual groceries: $5,762  

• Annual cost of living: $32,662
• Annual rent: $11,676
• Annual groceries: $5,678

• Annual cost of living: $32,323
• Annual rent: $10,812
• Annual groceries: $6,107

• Annual cost of living: $31,989
• Annual rent: $10,500
• Annual groceries: $6,017

• Annual cost of living: $32,883
• Annual rent: $8,676
• Annual groceries: $5,526

• Annual cost of living: $34,981
• Annual rent: $14,124
• Annual groceries: $5,890

• Annual cost of living: $29,811
• Annual rent: $8,736
• Annual groceries: $5,744

• Annual cost of living: $42,655
• Annual rent: $18,672
• Annual groceries: $6,319

• Annual cost of living: $30,381
• Annual rent: $10,224
• Annual groceries: $5,738

• Annual cost of living: $34,940
• Annual rent: $13,788
• Annual groceries: $6,083

• Annual cost of living: $32,092
• Annual rent: $10,908
• Annual groceries: $5,726  

• Annual cost of living: $30,770
• Annual rent: $9,624
• Annual groceries: $5,357

• Annual cost of living: $36,876
• Annual rent: $16,200
• Annual groceries: $5,575

• Annual cost of living: $49,474
• Annual rent: $24,372
• Annual groceries: $6,749

• Annual cost of living: $35,677
• Annual rent: $14,172
• Annual groceries: $5,599

• Annual cost of living: $35,811
• Annual rent: $15,120
• Annual groceries: $5,986

• Annual cost of living: $33,414
• Annual rent: $10,800
• Annual groceries: $5,805

• Annual cost of living: $32,113
• Annual rent: $11,196
• Annual groceries: $5,545

• Annual cost of living: $36,846
• Annual rent: $13,008
• Annual groceries: $5,557  

Methodology: For this piece GOBankingRates looked at the 2,500 largest cities in terms of housing market size, according to Zillow’s March 2025 data. With these cities isolated, GOBankingRates found the city with the cheapest 2025 rent and from there found the annual essentials (Rent, Groceries, Utilities, Transportation, and Healthcare) cost of living for these places. Cost-of-living figures were calculated by first finding the annual average expenditure, as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2023 Consumer Expenditure Survey and from there used cost-of-living indices sourced from Sperling’s Best Places. For ME, ND, and VT the market size was relaxed to 4,000. All data was collected on and is up to date as of May 14, 2025.