The Cheapest Cities in America: the complete list for 2025

In a country where the median home price just passed $420,000, Americans are waking up.

They’re trading coasts for cornfield and not out of choice, but necessity.

So here is a list of the cheapest places to live in the USA....

1. Toledo, Ohio – The Comeback Nobody Talks About

Toledo isn’t sexy. A median home price of $128,000, rent under a grand, and no illusion of grandeur.

You can buy a duplex here for what you’d pay in property tax on a Brooklyn apartment.

2. McAllen, Texas – Border Town, Budget Paradise

Tucked down in the Rio Grande Valley, McAllen is a sleeper.

Housing is cheap, groceries are cheap, and you're never more than a ten-minute drive from good tacos or a dollar store.

It’s one of the few metros where the cost of living is actually 13% below the national average, according to the Council for Community and Economic Research.

And unlike Austin, it hasn’t been ruined by tech bros.

3. Memphis, Tennessee – Blues, BBQ, and Bank Accounts That Breathe

You know what’s wild? You can still buy a single-family home in Memphis for under $200K—and I don’t mean in a crime-infested wasteland. I mean a real house with plumbing, a yard, and maybe even a porch swing if you’re into that.

Memphis has jobs, culture, and ribs that put Kansas City to shame. And the money you save on housing? It pays for therapy after listening to country rap.

4. Wichita, Kansas – Middle of Nowhere, Middle of Your Budget

Wichita is where you go when you’re done pretending to care about rooftop yoga. It’s where Gen Xers cash out their overpriced homes in Seattle and move somewhere they can breathe—and own.

Median home price? $170,000.

Plus, it’s one of the few places where gas stations still have free air for your tires and humans behind the counter.

5. El Paso, Texas – Sun, Safety, and Sanity

The border town narrative is always twisted in the media, but here’s the truth: El Paso is safe, affordable, and livable. Median monthly cost of living: under $3,000, per GoBankingRates.

Homes go for around $180K.

It’s got sunshine 300 days a year, no state income tax, and better Mexican food than 95% of America.

6. Cleveland, Ohio – LeBron Left, But You Shouldn't

Cleveland’s been the butt of jokes for decades, but try laughing when you realize you can rent a downtown loft for $1,100 and still walk to an NBA game, a philharmonic concert, and a full-blown lakefront.

It’s got jobs in healthcare, tech, and logistics—and if you can get over the gray winters, and we think it's a bit of a bargain.

So What’s the Catch?

There’s always a catch. In this case, it’s perception. Most Americans still think “affordable” means boring, dangerous, or backward. But that illusion is cracking...

So I guess affordable cities aren’t for the desperate—they’re for the smart.