Most Affordable Cities

The lowest cost of living across home prices, rent, services and rent burden.

Retirees Remote Workers Families Young Professionals Affordability All Rankings →

How We Score

Each metric is normalized 0-100 across U.S. cities, then weighted and summed. Cities missing any metric are excluded.

Home Prices · 30% Rent · 20% Cost Index · 25% Rent Burden · 15% Jobs · 10%

Top 12 Affordability Cities

Ranked by composite score across 5 weighted metrics.

#1
Score 91.5
Cut Off, LA
5,157 residents
Home Prices $161,900
Rent $759
Cost Index 88
#2
Score 91.1
De Queen, AR
6,077 residents
Home Prices $108,500
Rent $705
Cost Index 87
#3
Score 90
Estherville, IA
5,865 residents
Home Prices $96,300
Rent $739
Cost Index 88
#4
Score 89.9
Booneville, MS
9,060 residents
Home Prices $123,500
Rent $615
Cost Index 87
#5
Score 89.7
Sheldon, IA
5,386 residents
Home Prices $173,600
Rent $842
Cost Index 88
#6
Score 89.5
Le Mars, IA
10,597 residents
Home Prices $202,200
Rent $908
Cost Index 88
#7
Score 89.2
Malvern, AR
10,938 residents
Home Prices $95,500
Rent $760
Cost Index 87
#8
Score 89
Ulysses, KS
5,812 residents
Home Prices $123,100
Rent $692
Cost Index 90
#9
Score 88.9
Magnolia, AR
10,973 residents
Home Prices $166,500
Rent $622
Cost Index 87
#10
Score 88.8
Walnut Ridge, AR
5,440 residents
Home Prices $104,500
Rent $710
Cost Index 87
#11
Score 88.8
Moss Bluff, LA
11,451 residents
Home Prices $242,300
Rent $1,303
Cost Index 88
#12
Score 88.6
Ripley, MS
5,415 residents
Home Prices $132,500
Rent $683
Cost Index 87

Full Ranking

Top 50 cities. Click any city to see its full profile.

1 Cut Off LA 91.5
2 De Queen AR 91.1
3 Estherville IA 90
4 Booneville MS 89.9
5 Sheldon IA 89.7
6 Le Mars IA 89.5
7 Malvern AR 89.2
8 Ulysses KS 89
9 Magnolia AR 88.9
10 Walnut Ridge AR 88.8
11 Moss Bluff LA 88.8
12 Ripley MS 88.6
13 Pauls Valley OK 88.5
14 Russellville AL 88.5
15 Zuni Pueblo NM 88.4
16 Trumann AR 88.3
17 Storm Lake IA 88.2
18 Camden AR 88.2
19 Mena AR 88.2
20 Clinton OK 88.1
21 Beebe AR 88.1
22 Blackwell OK 88.1
23 Nevada IA 88.1
24 Creston IA 88
25 Cushing OK 88
26 Batesville AR 88
27 Greenwood AR 88
28 Knoxville IA 87.9
29 Spirit Lake IA 87.9
30 Tallassee AL 87.8
31 Lone Grove OK 87.8
32 Charles City IA 87.8
33 Mason City IA 87.7
34 Valley AL 87.7
35 Forest MS 87.7
36 Roanoke AL 87.6
37 Webster City IA 87.6
38 Hugo OK 87.6
39 Boone IA 87.6
40 Marshalltown IA 87.6
41 Hope AR 87.5
42 Alliance NE 87.5
43 White Hall AR 87.5
44 Mount Pleasant IA 87.4
45 Denison IA 87.3
46 Woodward OK 87.2
47 Independence IA 87.2
48 Parsons KS 87.2
49 Miami OK 87.2
50 Fort Madison IA 87.2

Cut Off, LA tops the list with a composite score of 91.5 out of 100, followed by De Queen and Estherville. AR dominates the top 12 with 4 cities, reflecting strong performance across the weighted metrics for affordability.

Rankings combine 5 independent metrics: Home Prices, Rent, Cost Index, Rent Burden, Jobs. Cities are weighted to reflect what matters most to affordability, and any city missing one or more metrics is excluded to avoid artificially inflated rankings.

Browse Affordability Rankings by State

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Explore Other Best Cities Rankings

Best Cities for Retirees
Low crime, warm climate, affordable cost of living and strong healthcare access.
Best Cities for Remote Workers
Strong broadband, affordable rent, low traffic and existing remote-work culture.
Best Cities for Families
Strong schools, low crime, affordable homes and family-friendly commutes.
Best Cities for Young Professionals
High incomes, educated peers, transit access and an under-35 demographic.

Related Single-Metric Rankings

Lowest Rent → Lowest Income → Safest Cities →