Whether you are in a hunt for the best place to move in when it comes to the cost of living, or you're just plain cheapskates, this compilation of U.S. cities ought to be in your priority list.
Livability, one of the leading resources when it comes to researching communities on the web, has come up yet again of their list of the most affordable cities to live. In caveat, the ten cities which made the list are not the cheapest per se but more like the best places to live in terms of affordability to the quality of living ratio.
After all, we wouldn't want to live in a city, cheap it may be, that has a very high crime rate, or close to zero opportunities for employment. Unless, of course you really are the cheapskate.
Topping the list is Round Rock, Texas. This is not at all surprising considering the notoriety of Lone Star State cities when it comes to having a low cost of living, and for being an income tax-free state. The residents of Round Rock city enjoy the benefits of a steady economy that provides a high employment rate.
Next to the list is Dayton, Ohio. In this city, locals can avail of relatively cheaper homes, groceries, and hospitalization. Median home values in the city are roughly a third below the overall U.S. homes average.
Lawton, in the State of Oklahoma, also made it to the list at number three. Residents here enjoy a high quality of living while spending less on expenses and utilities as compared to those from other cities across the country.
Rounding up the list are Lansing city in Michigan, Appleton in Wisconsin, Fort Wayne in Indiana, Rochester in Minnesota, Nampa in Idaho, Topeka in Kansas, and Cedar Rapids in Iowa.
Livability made use of their own metrics in order to come up with the list by digging into the data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD/US), and the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). They probe into the cost of living of different cities across the country in terms of taxes, housing, health care, food, and transportation. After which, they also factored in their own LivScore.
Meanwhile, Time Magazine, in an article in 2013, also made an assessment based on a Kiplinger.com findings regarding the cheapest cities to live. They concluded that college towns tend to be more budget-friendly as they are home to many students that don't have high spending capital. They also observe that big cities and those near the coasts are less likely to make the cut.
