3 Cheapest Big Cities in America
Small towns don’t have a monopoly on low living costs.
Small towns don’t have a monopoly on low living costs. In our search for the cheapest places to live in the U.S., we found three big cities that rank surprisingly high for affordability. Is one of these sizable cities right for you?
Indianapolis
City Population: 853,173
Cost of Living: 16.2% below U.S. average
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Median Household Income: $41,987 (U.S.: $53,889)
Median Home Value: $118,300 (U.S.: $178,600)
Average Monthly Rent: $690 (U.S.: $1,004)
Unemployment Rate: 4.0% (U.S.: 4.9%)
Highlight: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Memphis
City Population: 655,770
Cost of Living: 17.0% below U.S. average
Median Household Income: $36,445 (U.S.: $53,889)
Median Home Value: $94,000 (U.S.: $178,600)
Average Monthly Rent: $685 (U.S.: $1,004)
Unemployment Rate: 5.3% (U.S.: 4.9%)
Highlight: Graceland
Oklahoma City
City Population: 631,346
Cost of Living: 15.5% below U.S. average
Median Household Income: $47,779 (U.S.: $53,889)
Median Home Value: $138,600 (U.S.: $178,600)
Average Monthly Rent: $818 (U.S.: $1,004)
Unemployment Rate: 4.2% (U.S.: 4.9%)
Highlight: NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder
See the full list of the cheapest U.S. cities to live in.
Get Kiplinger Today newsletter — free
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.
Dan Burrows is Kiplinger's senior investing writer, having joined the august publication full time in 2016.
A long-time financial journalist, Dan is a veteran of SmartMoney, MarketWatch, CBS MoneyWatch, InvestorPlace and DailyFinance. He has written for The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Consumer Reports, Senior Executive and Boston magazine, and his stories have appeared in the New York Daily News, the San Jose Mercury News and Investor's Business Daily, among other publications. As a senior writer at AOL's DailyFinance, Dan reported market news from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and hosted a weekly video segment on equities.
Once upon a time – before his days as a financial reporter and assistant financial editor at legendary fashion trade paper Women's Wear Daily – Dan worked for Spy magazine, scribbled away at Time Inc. and contributed to Maxim magazine back when lad mags were a thing. He's also written for Esquire magazine's Dubious Achievements Awards.
In his current role at Kiplinger, Dan writes about equities, fixed income, currencies, commodities, funds, macroeconomics, demographics, real estate, cost of living indexes and more.
Dan holds a bachelor's degree from Oberlin College and a master's degree from Columbia University.
Disclosure: Dan does not trade stocks or other securities. Rather, he dollar-cost averages into cheap funds and index funds and holds them forever in tax-advantaged accounts.
-
Stock Market Today: The Dow Leads an Up Day for Stocks
Boeing, American Express and Nike were the best Dow stocks to close out the week.
By Karee Venema Published
-
Black Friday Deals: Are They Still Worth It in 2024?
Is Black Friday still the best day for deals? We share top tips for smart holiday shopping.
By Jacob Wolinsky Published
-
Should You Rent in Retirement?
Making Your Money Last Renting isn't right for all retirees, but it does offer flexibility and it frees up cash.
By Sandra Block Last updated
-
Debit Cards vs Charge Cards
credit & debt Whether sticking to a budget or reaping big rewards, understand whether debit cards vs charge cards are right for you.
By Ellen Kennedy Published
-
Four Smart Steps To Take Before Buying Your First Home
home Buying your first home can be daunting. Here are four things you need to do years before you start house-hunting to prepare financially for the biggest purchase of your life.
By Andrea Browne Taylor Last updated
-
Five Big Steps to Buying Your First Home
real estate We told you how to prepare years ahead of your first home purchase. Now here is how to close the deal.
By Andrea Browne Taylor Last updated
-
The 25 Cheapest Places to Live: U.S. Cities Edition
places to live Have a look at the cheapest places to live in America for city dwellers. Is one of the cheapest places to live in the U.S. right for you?
By Donna LeValley Last updated
-
Sharing His Path to Success
Starting Out: New Grads and Young Professionals This Native American studied tech in the Air Force and landed his dream job. Now he’s giving back.
By Emma Patch Published
-
How Big Should My Emergency Fund Be?
Brandon Copeland NFL linebacker and Kiplinger contributing editor Brandon Copeland discusses the importance of building an emergency fund.
By Brandon Copeland Published
-
PODCAST: How to Find a Job After Graduation, with Beth Hendler-Grunt
Starting Out: New Grads and Young Professionals Today’s successful job applicants need to know how to ace the virtual interview and be prepared to do good old-fashioned research and networking. Also, gas prices are high, but try a little global perspective.
By David Muhlbaum Published