If you want to live cheaply, you’re probably going to have to move from either of the two American coastal cities to one of the landlocked states in the middle of the U.S. According to multiple sources like Forbes Online, MSN Online and Today Technology, the cheapest places to live in American tend to be in states like Oklahoma and Kansas. If you have a job that doesn’t require you to locate to a particular city (these exist) or if you have just retired and you’re looking for a quiet mid-sized city to enjoy and stretch your dollar, then the cities listed below might be just what you’re looking for.
Cheapest Rent In The United States
According to multiple sources, Wichita, Kansas offers the cheapest rent in the United States. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m sure there are cheaper towns where you can live or towns with a lower price index, but we are talking about city-sized locations and not the tiniest towns in America. Wichita has its own notable local college (Wichita State) and is considered a growing entertainment and cultural center. Wichita is found in southeast Kansas and is about a three hour drive to Kansas City, Missouri.
Coming in just behind Wichita is Tulsa, Oklahoma. Perhaps not coincidentally, Tulsa is only a 2 hour drive to Wichita and an hour-and-a-half to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Tulsa is known for its Oktoberfest, which is billed as the largest in the world outside of Germany, and its amusement park, which offers go-cart racing, bumper cars and all-you-can-eat pizza. Tulsa has two Division I colleges (Tulsa and Oral Roberts), a ballet, an opera, and two nice art museums. It has also been listed as one of the most “livable” cities in America. Tulsa is also known as the home of western swing music, the kind played by George Strait.
Oklahoma City is also in the top three cheapest places to rent in America. One thing all three of these cities have in common is that they are found in “tornado alley”. Thunderstorms and whirlwinds can get scary in Oklahoma and Kansas during the late-spring and early summer, and they can be a danger even at other times of the year. Obviously, most people in these cities still never see a tornado, but it’s something to consider if you’re thinking about living in Wichita, Tulsa or Oklahoma City. If you’re looking for places outside tornado alley, you can move to Knoxville, Tennessee or Dayton, Ohio.
Cheapest Home Prices In America
Tulsa is also boasts some of the cheapest home prices in America, too. But there are a host of other cities where cheaper housing can be found, and some of these are considerably bigger than Tulsa, Oklahoma. Some of these towns are in the rust belt of Pennsylvania and Ohio, while others are in the south of the country, such as Texas.
Cities in the rust belt that are considered cheap to live include Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, while if you don’t mind cold winters, Madison, Wisconsin has been listed as a city with a low cost of living. In fact, Madison has been listed by MSN as one of the best places to live in America (if you can stand the winters). Natural beauty of the local landscape and decent commuter times are listed as positives.
Two cities in Texas are noted as among the cheaper places to live in America: San Antonio and Dallas. San Antonio has a River Walk, the Alamo and some nice, historic neighborhoods. Dallas (aka Dallas/Fort Worth or DFW) not only has cheap home prices, but is one of the centers of corporate America, with many corporate headquarters relocating to Dallas in the last few decades.
One of the reasons for this is the cost of real estate. Probably because of the vast land resources of Texas, land and therefore homes aren’t as expensive in the Dallas Metroplex as in other major American cities. The drawback is that your commute times and distances will seem outlandish by the standards of the northeast, and the summers will be oppressively hot. That second note also goes for San Antonio, which is probably hotter than Dallas in the summer. In fact, in July, August and even parts of September, you can expect numerous days around 100 degrees. Because of the humidity, Texas heat seems hotter than the listed temperature, too.
But these are the cheapest places to live in the United States, at least if you’re hoping to live in a larger metropolitan area. If you’re looking for a good place to live and protect your savings account, start looking at any of these cities first.