The Most Affordable Places to Live

Below are examples of some of the most affordable places to live in the United States. The criteria for this page is towns with a population of at least 5,000, which have all the basics, and have at least 5 homes (two-bedrooms or larger) listed for sale at less than $125,000. Other pages you'll want to check out:

Cheap House | Nice Towns - This has examples of towns with homes under $50,000.

More Places To Buy A Cheap House - A few towns with home under $30,000.

Cheap Towns to Live In - A 2011 update, with five new affordable places to live.

The Cheapest Homes in 2012 - Our latest update; two new cities.

Of course, towns with homes that cheap sometimes have a lack of good jobs, making them less affordable in the end. The towns that aren't quite the cheapest generally have a better economic climate, making them perhaps the most affordable places to live. Some examples:

Alamogordo, New Mexico

Alomogordo is in south-central New Mexico, and although it is in a desert, you can drive half-an-hour to the forests and cooler temperatures of the Sacramento Mountains. The beautiful White Sands National Monument is nearby, and there are more than 300 days per year of sunshine here. The clear skies are why the German Air Force practices at the Holloman Air Force Base, south of town. The cheap houses here are mostly mobile homes, but there are others. As of September 2009, the listings include three houses under $50,000 and dozens under $100,000.

2011 Update: There are 200 houses under $125,000 listed; a dozen under $50,000.

2012 Update: One of the few places that has been seeing rising prices; look to spend $100,000 or more for a decent home.

Aberdeen, Washington

The City of Aberdeen is located on the southern edge of the Olympic Peninsula at the convergence of the Wishkah and Chehalis Rivers. The economy of the area was based on logging and fishing, but in the last few years there has had to begin the conversion to an economy based more on tourism. We loved the area when we drove through in 2002, and we figured it wouldn't be inexpensive for long. We were right, as there are no more $30,000 homes like when we went through. But there still are a dozen under $50,000 and dozens more under $100,000.

2011 Update: 150 for less than $125,000, 24 under $50,000, and 2 "uglies" under $30,000.

2012 Update: There are still 20 listings under $50,000.

Hickory, North Carolina

Hickory is located in North Carolina's Piedmont region, 50 miles northwest of the City of Charlotte and 80 miles east of Asheville. It is intersected by Interstate 40, US Highway 321 and US Highway 70. The official city website lists as one of it's "amazing facts," that the Hickory Public Library is the first public library in North America to use smart card technology. With a population of around 30,000, Hickory is large enough to have everything you need, and still has cheap homes for sale, including more than forty homes for less than $50,000 and many more under $80,000.

2011 Update: 77 under $50,000, 12 under $30,000.

2012 Update: About the same situation as 2011.

Colorado Springs, Colorado

What a beautiful setting for a town. Pikes Peak seems to always be within sight wherever you go in the city. There are parks, wilderness, and great nightlife downtown as well. This is one of the larger towns in our selection, with a population of over 350,000. It has our favorite airport (we live just 40 miles away, so we have used it often), and is just far enough away from the busyness of Denver. Condos can still be bought for under $50,000 here, and there are normally at least half-a-dozen houses listed under $100,000 at any given time. Last time I checked (September 2009) there were several single family homes that looked decent for around $65,000.

2011 Update: Hundreds of homes under $125,000, and some condos for less than $50,000.

2012 Update: They get nice around $100,000; some condos are around 50k.

More of the Most Affordable Places to Live

Here are some more nice towns with homes under $125,000 (Updated August 2007):

Rawlins, Wyoming - Mobile homes (on land) and fixer uppers for under $50,000, and a couple dozen homes under $90,000 or so. 2011... 65 under $125k, 8 under $50k. 2012... Not many left under 50k.

Marquette, Michigan - Many under $100,000, several under $60,000. 2011... 67 under $125k, 12 under $50k. 2012... A few cheap fixer uppers.

Butte Montana - Prices vary widely, but there are always some that are less than $90,000. There were two dozen under $50,000 last time I checked, though they are mostly older homes that may need work. 2011... 120 under $125k, 20 under $50k. 2012... Still plenty of cheap homes here.

Austin, Texas - Many co-ops and condos under $50,000, and some decent single-family homes starting at around $75,000. 2011... 830 under $125k, 17 under $50k. 2012... Look for condos if you want to pay less than $100,000 for a decent home.

Klamath Falls, Oregon - Many homes under $90,000, and a few fixer uppers, mobile homes and modular homes under $50,000. 2011... 288 under $125k, 23 under $50k. 2012... The ones under 50k seem to be fixer-uppers or mobile homes.

Ridgecrest, California - Many condos and co-ops under $50,000 and a couple dozen homes (may need work) between $40,000 and $90,000. 2011... 134 under $125k, 32 under $50k. 2012... Mobiles under $50,000; some decent homes for around 100k.

Canon City, Colorado - For more on this, our own home town, see the page Canon City Real Estate.