America’s Most (and Least) Affordable Cities in 2025

 

Today, Tupelo, MS, is the nation’s most affordable city, where your dollar can stretch 21% further than the U.S. average.

Similarly, several Southern cities have the lowest cost of living in the country, typically seeing smaller populations and more affordable housing. In contrast, New York and California continue to rank among the most expensive places to live.

This graphic shows the U.S. cities with the lowest and highest cost of living, based on data from the Council for Community and Economic Research.

Where Are America’s Affordable Cities?

Below, we rank cities by their cost of living index, which measures 61 items in Q2 2025:

Most Affordable	Urban Areas	Cost of Living Index	Least Affordable	Urban Areas	Cost of Living Index
1	Tupelo MS	79	1	Manhattan NY	232
2	Decatur IL	79	2	Honolulu HI	182
3	Harlingen TX	80	3	San Jose CA	181
4	McAllen TX	80	4	Orange County CA	162
5	Richmond IN	81	5	San Francisco CA	160
6	Oklahoma City OK	82	6	Brooklyn NY	159
7	Pittsburg KS	82	7	Queens NY	151
8	Salina KS	82	8	Los Angeles- Long Beach CA	149
9	Muskogee OK	83	9	San Diego CA	146
10	Ponca City OK	83	10	Boston MA	145

Oklahoma stands out for affordability, with three of the nation’s 10 most affordable cities. Texas and Kansas follow closely, each with two.

In Oklahoma City, the median home sale price is $225,167, and more than half of the homes sold in August went for less than the list price. Down south, McAllen, Texas, saw the third-lowest grocery costs in the country.

At the other end of the spectrum, living costs in Manhattan are more than twice the national average—72% higher than even San Francisco. Neighboring boroughs, such as Brooklyn and Queens, also rank among the least affordable in the U.S., driven by an influx of Manhattan buyers during the pandemic.

Honolulu, meanwhile, takes the lead for grocery expenses, with prices more than 32% above the U.S. average, and 13% higher than in Manhattan.