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

The average annual expenditure in the United States was $72,967 as of 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This is the most recent data available, but considering that was a 9% increase from 2021, chances are the cost of living has increased since then.

Generally speaking, the cost of living is higher in certain states, especially those along the West Coast, Hawaii and Alaska. However, there are still places where you can live quite comfortably on $100,000 a year or less. And by comfortably, that is to say you can live there, potentially own a home, cover all the essentials and have money left over for savings, investments and leisure.

If you’re thinking about living in the West — or if you already reside there but want to move somewhere cheaper — you might be wondering what cities are the most affordable. To make the search easier, GOBankingRates compiled data from several sources, including Sperling’s BestPlaces, the BLS and the Zillow Home Value Index.

These are the top 10 most affordable cities in the West, according to the findings. Surprisingly, eight of them are in New Mexico while two are in Colorado. Perhaps less surprising is that most of these are smaller towns with a population of 10,000 or fewer — the exceptions being Deming and Portales, New Mexico.

• Median household income: $33,548
• Household average income: $46,741
• Average monthly expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,696
• Average total monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,529
• Total cost of living annually: $30,351
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $60,702
• Household average value (May 2024): $139,917
• Overall quality of life plus rank: 63 (ranked 45th)

• Median household income: $24,821
• Household average income: $33,912
• Average monthly expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,840
• Average total monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,489
• Total cost of living annually: $29,864
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $59,727
• Household average value (May 2024): $108,811
• Overall quality of life plus rank: 54 (ranked 190th)

• Median household income: $49,313
• Household average income: $61,814
• Average monthly expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,655
• Average total monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,459
• Total cost of living annually: $29,508
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $59,015
• Household average value (May 2024): $134,904
• Overall quality of life plus rank: 66 (ranked 20th)

• Median household income: $68,819
• Household average income: $74,563
• Average monthly expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,688
• Average total monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,441
• Total cost of living annually: $29,287
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $58,575
• Household average value (May 2024): $126,341
• Overall quality of life plus rank: 60 (ranked 62nd)

• Median household income: $45,355
• Household average income: $50,153
• Average monthly expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,842
• Average total monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,406
• Total cost of living annually: $28,874
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $57,748
• Household average value (May 2024): $94,768
• Overall quality of life plus rank: 70 (ranked 26th)

• Median household income: $39,313
• Household average income: $47,712
• Average monthly expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,685
• Average total monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,353
• Total cost of living annually: $28,238
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $56,475
• Household average value (May 2024): $112,230
• Overall quality of life plus rank: 59 (ranked 63rd)

• Median household income: $56,731
• Household average income: $64,947
• Average monthly expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,696
• Average total monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,350
• Total cost of living annually: $28,205
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $56,411
• Household average value (May 2024): $109,919
• Overall quality of life plus rank: 63 (ranked 38th)

• Median household income: $33,239
• Household average income: $47,640
• Average monthly expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,724
• Average total monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,329
• Total cost of living annually: $27,946
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $55,892
• Household average value (May 2024): $101,563
• Overall quality of life plus rank: 67 (ranked 21st)

• Median household income: $34,699
• Household average income: $58,729
• Average monthly expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,670
• Average total monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,318
• Total cost of living annually: $27,818
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $55,636
• Household average value (May 2024): $108,761
• Overall quality of life plus rank: 65 (ranked 22nd)

• Median household income: $34,424
• Household average income: $48,773
• Average monthly expenditures (excl. mortgage): $1,668
• Average total monthly expenditures (incl. mortgage): $2,146
• Total cost of living annually: $25,756
• Amount needed to live comfortably: $51,512
• Household average value (May 2024): $80,275
• Overall quality of life plus rank: 63 (ranked 25th)

Photo disclaimer: Please note that photos are for representational purposes only and may be of nearby cities.

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, and using the national average cost of expenditures for all residents as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2022 Consumer Expenditure Survey, the average expenditure costs for each city can be calculated. The average single family home value for May 2024 was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index for each city and assuming a 10% down payment and using the national average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data, the average mortgage cost for each city can be calculated. The mortgage and expenditures can be 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 this study. 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, the monthly total cost of living was doubled to find the income needed to live comfortably. The monthly cost of expenditures were scored and weighted at 1.00, the monthly cost of mortgage was scored and weighted at 1.00, and the livability index was scored and weighted at 1.00. All the 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.