These Are The Cheapest Cities to Live In the U.S.: Should You Move?

If you’re in a city or part of the country where the price of living is getting out of hand, you might think about moving. There are certain cities and regions where the cost of living remains beneath the national average, and that might appeal to you at a time when inflation is running rampant.

Before you think about creating a moving budget, though, let’s talk about some of the cheapest U.S. cities that are out there. We will also discuss what you should consider before picking up stakes and heading for somewhere completely new.

Some of the Country’s Cheapest Cities

The price of living in cities around the country is always rising and falling, but these are some of the consistently cheapest ones to live in, as dictated by the overall cost of living over the past few years.

Hickory, North Carolina, is considered the country’s cheapest city at the moment. Green Bay, Wisconsin, ranks number two.

Next are Huntsville, Alabama, and the Quad Cities of Davenport-Bettendorf and Moline-Rock Island. Rounding out the top five is Fort Wayne, Indiana.

What Do You Do for Work?

That’s a fairly diverse list. If you want to move to a city or part of the country that’s cheap, and you care about virtually nothing else, then any of the ones we just mentioned should do fine.

However, the cost of living is only one factor that most people think of when they’re considering where they want to be. You should also keep in mind what you do for work.

If you’re retired, that won’t be as big of a deal. If you’re of working age, though, you presumably need money, so you should look into each of the options we mentioned and see what industries are thriving there.

For instance, Hickory, the first city on the list, has mostly manufacturing jobs available. Green Bay has several major paper-making mills, so those are the biggest employers.

How Do You Feel About the Weather?

The weather will certainly play a part in your decision to move as well. If you don’t care much about it, then you can move to any of the cities we mentioned with no hesitation.

Weather can make a huge difference in life quality, though, so you will probably need to consider it. Green Bay, for instance, sees frigid winters and lots of snow and ice.

How Do You Feel About that City and State’s Politics?

You might also consider where you land on the political spectrum before you move. If you don’t care about politics at all, that won’t come into play, but most people do, at least somewhat.

There are states that vote red or blue in presidential elections, but there are also blue pockets in red states and vice versa. If you don’t want to argue about your political beliefs with your neighbors, you should probably look into a city and state’s politics before you move there.

Will You Move This Year?

If you feel like you’re being priced out of your current city or state, 2023 might be the year you move. We’ve mentioned several cities that are the cheapest in the nation, but the cost of living might not be the only thing that motivates you.

At a minimum, you should look at a city and state’s political leanings before you move there. You should check out the weather and see if that might be an issue. You might think about what you do for a living as well, and whether you can easily get a job in the city that you are considering.

All of that is likely to factor in. How much it costs to live somewhere makes a huge difference, but many families and individuals don’t look at that as the sole reason for deciding whether they’ll move somewhere.