15 Happiest Places To Live — Can You Afford Them?
Written by
J. Arky
Edited by
Zuri Anderson
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Money cannot buy you happiness, but in some American cities, it might actually be easier to find, if you have the means to live there.
According to WalletHub, the United States is one of the richest countries on the planet, yet on the World Happiness Report, it comes in twenty-third in the rankings. In actuality, there are plenty of places to find happiness in America for a variety of reasons. What it all hinges on is if you and your family can afford to live in these places.
For a household containing at least four people, GOBankingRates looked into the 15 happiest places to live. Analyzing the average monthly cost of living using data from Numbeo and Apartments.com, as well as the average housing prices in each city from Zillow, here is what it takes to live in each of these smile heavy locales.
San Diego, California
- Average cost of living per month: $4,785.67
- Average home price: $1,026,800
Charleston, South Carolina
- Average cost of living per month: $4,179.45
- Average home price: $572,823
Seattle, Washington
- Average cost of living per month: $5,365.80
- Average home price: $887,994
Omaha, Nebraska
- Average cost of living per month: $4,270.99
- Average home price: $283,310
Bismarck, North Dakota
- Average cost of living per month: $2,497.00
- Average home price: $354,359
Huntington Beach, California
- Average cost of living per month: $3,006.01
- Average home price: $1,348,658
San Francisco, California
- Average cost of living per month: $5,704.86
- Average home price: $1,301,388
Scottsdale, Arizona
- Average cost of living per month: $2,504.99
- Average home price: $848,172
Madison, Wisconsin
- Average cost of living per month: $4,243.65
- Average home price: $407,621
Lincoln, Nebraska
- Average cost of living per month: $3,544.47
- Average home price: $282,980
Overland Park, Kansas
- Average cost of living per month: $2,437.02
- Average home price: $448,455
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Average cost of living per month: $4,083.08
- Average home price: $326,118
Irvine, California
- Average cost of living per month: $4,445.18
- Average home price: $1,614,607
San Jose, California
- Average cost of living per month: $5,403.40
- Average home price: $1,521,021
Fremont, California
- Average cost of living per month: $4,597.69
- Average home price: $537,785
Sources
- WalletHub, “Happiest Cities in America (2025).”
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