how to find a cheap place to live

How much does your flat price? Your answer is likely to vary — a lot — depending on where you lot live.

According to RentJungle, the average San Francisco apartment rented for $3,357 per month in August 2020. If you follow the old rule of spending no more 30% of your income on housing, you'd demand to earn at to the lowest degree $134,280 per twelvemonth to afford the average San Francisco flat. That's a alpine order, even with the Bay Area'southward relatively loftier incomes.

High rents disproportionately impact people on the lower end of the income scale. In a 2018 report, the Joint Centre for Housing Studies of Harvard University found that most one-half of all renters are "toll-burdened" — basically, they're forced to spend as well much of their income on housing. In most metropolitan markets, particularly expensive regions such equally Southern California and South Florida, the vast majority of individual renters earning less than $xv,000 per year are cost-burdened.

But these legitimate cost pressures aren't everywhere. In many markets, apartments remain affordable, even for underemployed and part-time workers with tight budgets, limited or nonexistent savings, and little to no discretionary income.

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If you lot live in an expensive coastal city similar New York, Boston, or Seattle, these low-rent meccas are nowhere in sight. Merely they're out at that place. The question is: Where?

About Affordable U.S. Cities for Renters

Most affordable U.S. cities are far from the coasts. Typically, they are located in the Midwest, Mount West, and South. Country in these areas tends to be cheaper, with more permissive zoning rules reducing the toll of building new housing and renovating or rehabilitating old housing.

To build this listing, I crunched the numbers using exhaustive datasets from real estate intelligence companies like RentCafe and Yardi Matrix, then filtered the results to find the most affordable rental markets in the U.s.a.. Every bit a benchmark, I used RentCafe's data on the average apartment size at 30% of expanse median income — that is, the biggest flat, on average, a median-income renter tin can expect to beget in each city without becoming cost-burdened. For reference, the median U.S. rent accounts for 29.1% of the average American household income, according to information from The Zebra.

Remember, these figures are averages. Some renters become more than the boilerplate amount of space without tipping over the xxx% threshold. Others aren't and so lucky.

Bear in mind, as well, that complex and volatile factors drive housing prices: local country use policies, economic conditions, housing quality, and demand, to proper noun a few. In some seemingly affordable markets, especially in the industrial Midwest, a cocky-reinforcing cycle of economical stagnation and population outflows dampens housing demand. The fact that rents are low in these markets, where skilful-paying jobs tend to be scarce, doesn't mean they're necessarily desirable for working-age people — and especially not for younger folks craving cosmopolitan surroundings.

However, many cities on this list have stiff economies, diverse employers, great lifestyle civilities, and vibrant cultures. All are sizable, and many belong to relatively low-cost major metropolitan areas. If you crave big-city perks without the big-metropolis cost of living, you know where to look.

1 final note: Unless otherwise noted, unemployment figures are sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Economy at a Glance application, using figures for each city's metropolitan area except where noted. Population figures are estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

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1. Gilbert, Arizona

Gilbert Arizona Church Night Time Latter Day Saints

Population: 248,279
Unemployment Rate: 10.three%
What Y'all Go for 30% of Expanse Median Income: one,174 foursquare feet
Average Apartment Size: 962 square feet
Average Apartment Rent: $1,240 per month
Price Per Square Human foot at Average Rent: $1.29 per month

Sprawling beyond the southeastern quadrant of the Valley of the Lord's day, every bit the Phoenix metropolitan surface area is known locally, Gilbert is a few ticks more affordable for renters than its parent city. If yous're relocating to Phoenix for reasons of career or climate, y'all can't practice better than Gilbert — although it'll certainly aid if yous tin detect piece of work in Gilbert or neighboring communities like Chandler, Tempe, or Scottsdale rather than drive 30 minutes each way (on a good mean solar day) to downtown Phoenix.

That shouldn't be a trouble. Tempe is home to Arizona Land Academy, Scottsdale is a hub for the finance industry, and Chandler has multiple semiconductor firms within its borders. (Hydrophobic calculator chips dear the dry desert air.) Gilbert itself has a couple of big hospitals and a massive public school district. Other major employers in the Valley include the global headquarters or major regional offices for mining behemothic Freeport McMoran, pet retailer PetSmart, Honeywell's aerospace division, and U-Booty.

If you're new to the Valley, past no means should you limit your housing search to Gilbert. Despite rampant population growth, this remains a highly affordable region by national standards. In the Phoenix area, Scottsdale, Glendale, Mesa, Chandler, and Phoenix itself are all amongst the most affordable cities for U.Southward. renters.

2. Plano, Texas

Population: 288,061
Unemployment Rate: vii.four%
What You lot Get for 30% of Surface area Median Income: 1,137 square feet
Average Apartment Size: 935 square feet
Average Apartment Rent: $1,278 per calendar month
Price Per Square Pes at Average Hire: $i.37 per month

Plano is a quickly growing suburban city virtually xx miles northeast of Dallas. Routinely ranked among the safest and most family-friendly cities in the United States, it's also among the most affordable for budget-conscious renters.

This is true despite Plano'due south legendary attractiveness to major corporations. The city boasts more corporate headquarters than only virtually any other community of comparable size, in Texas or anywhere else. Amidst the household-name corporations calling Plano home are packaged foods behemoth Frito-Lay, Capital I Finance Corporation (which has a major branch office here), Toyota Motors North America, and Depository financial institution of America Home Loans. Plano has 2 major medical facilities within its borders, too.

Like the Phoenix area, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is a highly affordable identify for renters — and homebuyers, only that's some other story. Both Garland to Plano's immediate southeast and Irving but northwest of Dallas, about 25 miles from primal Plano, rank among the cheapest places to rent without spending more than 30% of household income.

three. Virginia Embankment, Virginia

Population: 450,189
Unemployment Rate: ix.iii%
What You Get for 30% of Surface area Median Income: 1,077 square anxiety
Boilerplate Apartment Size: 972 foursquare feet
Average Flat Rent: $1,176 per month
Price Per Foursquare Pes at Average Rent: $1.21 per month

Virginia Beach is the largest city in Hampton Roads, a waterlogged but picturesque metropolitan area in Virginia's southeastern corner. With the world's longest uninterrupted pleasure beach, according to the Guinness Book of Globe Records, and a portion of the land'south largest naval circuitous, Virginia Beach lives something of a double life. Sun, sand, and serious military hardware manage to coexist here, notwithstanding the occasional hurricane.

Virginia Beach's vast country area probably contributes to its overall affordability for renters. Abroad from the densely built beach, the urban center is a decentralized drove of low-density residential neighborhoods, low-rise commercial areas, parking lots, and green space. There'south plenty of room for Virginia Beach to grow. Cheers to its unmatched lifestyle civilities and defence-oriented economy, there's little reason to call up it won't.

Hampton Roads isn't uniformly affordable for renters; the region's highly mobile population makes information technology easy enough for landlords to jack up rents when tenants modify. But Virginia Beach isn't the simply city that makes the affordability cutting. Nearby Chesapeake, vast swathes of which remain undeveloped, is nearly as budget-friendly as its neighbor.

4. Due north Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas North View Mountain Range Suburbs

Population: 245,949
Unemployment Rate: xvi.4%
What Y'all Go for 30% of Area Median Income: 1,033 square anxiety
Average Apartment Size: 958 square anxiety
Average Apartment Rent: $one,050 per month
Price Per Square Foot at Average Rent: $one.x per month

N Las Vegas is another desert metropolis with beautiful mountain views and a sprawling metro surface area. Located north of Las Vegas proper, it'due south heavily reliant on the Las Vegas Valley's famous gaming and entertainment industries, with many locals working for casinos, resorts, amusement companies, and the various support businesses. However, the area is gaining regional recognition in the technology sector thanks to the availability of cheap land.

It's worth noting that North Las Vegas was devastated by the housing collapse of the late 2000s, with the metropolis's comparatively depression rents partially an artifact of that crisis. The city was hit hard again past the COVID-19 pandemic, which ground the region'due south tourism manufacture to a halt during the 2nd quarter of 2020. North Las Vegas has bounced dorsum before and will over again, but it'll exist a long route.

North Las Vegas shares affordability honors with a few other nearby cities:

Henderson, on the southwestern fringes of Las Vegas' urban sprawl
Paradise, a centrally located customs that'due south abode to much of the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas proper, covered in greater detail below

v. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Oklahoma City Usa Cityscape Bricktown Dusk

Population: 649,021
Unemployment Rate: vii.1%
What You Go for 30% of Area Median Income: 973 square feet
Average Apartment Size: 849 square anxiety
Boilerplate Apartment Hire: $754 per month
Price Per Square Foot at Boilerplate Rent: $0.89 per month

The capital of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Urban center sprawls across three counties, making it the eighth-largest U.S. urban center by land surface area. The city's housing market benefits from the seemingly inexhaustible supply of cheap, flat state surrounding the urban core. A strong economic system has pushed developers to continue building new projects.

Although its economic system is notwithstanding reliant on energy and agriculture, Oklahoma City has largely freed itself from the destructive boom-and-bust cycles — fomented by volatile oil, gas, and cattle prices — that hampered its growth throughout much of the 20th century. Withal, Oklahoma City is ane of the few major cities situated atop an active oil field. Many residents earn income from oil and gas leases. The city is also home to Stockyards Metropolis, the earth's largest livestock marketplace and a bona fide Old W tourist allure.

Aside from livestock and free energy, Oklahoma City's economy relies on logistics, aerospace, finance, health care, and state government. The surface area's largest employers include the Country of Oklahoma, Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, Integris Wellness, Hobby Foyer, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and Chesapeake Energy Corporation. Tinker Air Force Base, located across the city limits, is a major economical anchor for the region besides.

half dozen. Wichita, Kansas

Population: 389,255
Unemployment Rate: 10.9%
What You Go for xxx% of Expanse Median Income: 965 square anxiety
Average Apartment Size: 792 square feet
Boilerplate Flat Hire: $643 per calendar month
Toll Per Square Foot at Boilerplate Rent: $0.81 per month

Non far from the geographic center of the United States, Kansas' largest metropolis is amazingly affordable. Named for the Wichita people who lived in the area for centuries before the arrival of European settlers, modern Wichita is a diversified hub of industry, logistics, and services.

Although surrounded past farmlands, Wichita itself is heavily industrialized, historically one of the United States' largest aircraft manufacturing hubs. Today, more than than 50 aircraft companies and suppliers operate facilities in Wichita and surrounding communities.

Other major employers include Cargill Meat Solutions, free energy and agribusiness conglomerate Koch Industries, outdoor recreation supplier Coleman Visitor, and roller coaster manufacturer Chance Morgan. Wichita State Academy and Wesley Medical Center utilize thousands, adding much-needed multifariousness to the local economy.

Wichita's signature annual upshot is the Wichita Riverfest, which attracts most 400,000 visitors each year.

seven. Tulsa, Oklahoma

Population: 400,669
Unemployment Charge per unit: 7.vi%
What Y'all Get for 30% of Area Median Income: 960 square anxiety
Boilerplate Apartment Size: 820 square anxiety
Average Apartment Rent: $685 per month
Cost Per Square Human foot at Average Rent: $0.84 per calendar month

Despite its reputation as "the Buckle of the Bible Chugalug," Tulsa is a surprisingly cosmopolitan city located in northeastern Oklahoma, at the border of the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. Once an oil boomtown, Tulsa suffered mightily every bit the middle of American energy production shifted w. Following a long menses of economic stagnation in the tardily 20th century, the city has rebounded and diversified.

As the effects of climatic change grow more than pronounced and the earth shifts away from carbon-intensive sources of free energy, Tulsa is likely to further reduce its dependence on legacy oil and gas producers similar Williams Companies, Syntroleum, and ONEOK. These days, Tulsans are more likely to work in aerospace or in the fiscal sector; American Airlines' local maintenance facility is the largest aircraft maintenance hub in the globe, and BOK Financial Corporation, a major regional bank, is headquartered here.

Tulsa's signature event, the Tulsa State Fair, attracts nearly 1 meg visitors during a x-day period each fall. The urban center is also pop with foodies thank you to a distinctive manner of barbecue that'southward difficult to find exterior northeastern Oklahoma. The city'south municipal park system, which features more than than 100 parks and 6,000-plus acres of dark-green space, is nationally recognized.

8. Omaha, Nebraska

Population: 468,262
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%
What You Get for 30% of Area Median Income: 905 foursquare feet
Average Apartment Size: 924 square feet
Average Apartment Rent: $905 per month
Price Per Square Pes at Average Rent: $0.98 per month

Located almost an hour northeast of Lincoln, the state uppercase — and some other affordable identify for renters — Omaha is Nebraska'south largest metropolis. The city began life as a cow town thanks to the massive Omaha Stockyards complex and nearby meatpacking plants, but information technology's far more than that today. Mod Omaha is an insurance and railroad hub, a primal middle of finance and engineering, and the dwelling house of famed value investor Warren Buffett and his venerable conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway.

Other major Omaha employers include structure company Kiewit Corporation, Valmont Industries, Green Plains Renewable Energy, Mutual of Omaha, and Union Pacific Corporation. The city is rumored to be the birthplace of the Reuben sandwich and the ski elevator — somewhat surprising given the surrounding area's gentle topography. Omaha's best-known annual event is the College Globe Series, which attracts tens of thousands of baseball fans every year.

9. Arlington, Virginia

Arlington Virginia Landscape Water Reflection

Population: 237,521
Unemployment Rate: 8.0%
What You Go for xxx% of Area Median Income: 902 square feet
Average Flat Size: 866 square feet
Average Apartment Rent: $2,149 per calendar month
Cost Per Square Foot at Average Rent: $2.48 per month

Arlington is a tiny county sandwiched between the Potomac River, the independent city of Alexandria, and the much larger county of Fairfax. Arlington is largely urban in character, with plenty of walkable neighborhoods and a fantastic public transportation organization.

For outsiders — and plenty of locals too — Arlington'southward relative affordability for renters is something of a mystery. Information technology'south smack in the heart of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area; the Washington Monument is visible from high points throughout the canton. Local abode values are steep, with single-family unit homes priced at double or triple the national median. And the region'southward booming economy is about to kick into an fifty-fifty higher gear as Amazon opens a major East Coast hub inside the canton limits.

The resulting influx of well-to-do techies may shatter Arlington's affordable dream. For now, who'south to debate with an unabashed skillful thing? If y'all're looking for a hip foothold in the D.C. area without D.C.-level rents, Arlington is it.

10. Raleigh, Northward Carolina

Population: 469,298
Unemployment Rate: eight.0%
What You Get for 30% of Area Median Income: 893 square feet
Boilerplate Flat Size: 960 square anxiety
Boilerplate Apartment Rent: $1,164 per month
Price Per Square Foot at Boilerplate Hire: $1.21 per month

Raleigh is North Carolina's state capital letter and 2nd-largest city. Every bit one of the fastest-growing cities in a fast-growing state, information technology'due south emblematic of the economic vitality that'due south drawn so many outsiders to this role of the country over the past few decades — however it remains one of the best bargains for renters e of the Mississippi.

In part, Raleigh owes its entreatment to a regional cluster of top-tier research universities. Together with the neighboring communities of Durham, Chapel Hill, and Cary, Raleigh anchors the famed Inquiry Triangle, domicile to the University of N Carolina at Chapel Loma, Duke University, and North Carolina State Academy. As one of the country's summit life sciences hubs, the Triangle draws from a global pool of scientific talent.

Numerically, Raleigh's task market is driven by state government, education, and health care. Top private employers include Advance Auto Parts, First Citizens BancShares, Reddish Chapeau, and Waste Industries.

11. Columbus, Ohio

Population: 892,533
Unemployment Charge per unit: 8.2%
What You lot Get for xxx% of Surface area Median Income: 878 square feet
Average Apartment Size: 885 foursquare anxiety
Average Apartment Rent: $918 per month
Price Per Square Foot at Boilerplate Rent: $one.04 per month

Located in the geographical middle of Ohio, Columbus is its state's capital metropolis and home to its flagship public university. (That'due south The Ohio State University, for readers who couldn't intendance less almost higher sports or Midwestern land grant universities.) Although Columbus is the biggest city in Ohio by population, the surrounding metropolitan expanse is only the state's third largest.

Columbus has changed a lot over the years. Its first noteworthy industry was horse-fatigued buggy manufacturing. Following the demise of the buggy business, the city quickly adult a more diversified manufacturing base, later expanding into professional services. Today, the city'due south largest employers include Ohio Country University, the land government of Ohio, Nationwide Common Insurance Company, Big Lots, Cardinal Health, Wendy'due south, and Huntington Bancshares.

It'south worth noting that Ohio Country University supports a vibrant startup economy — somewhat unusual in the industrial Midwest — and a diverse cultural scene to match. That ways Columbus might just exist Ohio's best place to start a new concern and hit the town after a long mean solar day at work, without paying coastal prices for drinks, food, or housing.

12. Fort Wayne, Indiana

Fort Wayne Dr Martin Luther King Jr Bridge Indiana

Population: 267,633
Unemployment Charge per unit: eight.2%
What Yous Become for 30% of Area Median Income: 866 foursquare feet
Average Apartment Size: 882 square anxiety
Average Apartment Rent: $760 per month
Price Per Square Foot at Average Rent: $0.86 per month

Once fiddling more than a trading post on the American frontier, the arrival of the railroad transformed Fort Wayne into a thriving manufacturing hub. By the early on 20th century, information technology was 1 of the most of import manufacturing centers between Pittsburgh and Chicago, with companies such every bit Full general Electric and International Harvester employing thousands of residents.

Sadly, Fort Wayne's manufacturing economy collapsed in the 1970s and '80s, hollowing out the city'southward middle class and dramatically lowering local wages, living standards, and morale. The city's trajectory wasn't unique, but it barbarous farther and faster than many other Midwestern manufacturing hubs. It's taken decades for the local economy to dig out.

Lately, Fort Wayne has focused — with some success — on growing its logistics, health care, professional person services, and defense exposures. That'due south helped to put a floor under local housing prices while boosting median incomes relative to prevailing rents, which remain low due to small demand and aplenty housing supply.

Major Fort Wayne-surface area employers include hardware brand Do It Best, North American Van Lines, Steel Dynamics, and Frontier Communications. The city'due south signature annual event is the Johnny Appleseed Festival, which attracts some 300,000 visitors to the city park where the existent-life John Chapman purportedly lies in tranquillity.

13. Bakersfield, California

Population: 383,579
Unemployment Charge per unit: 16.five%
What You Become for 30% of Area Median Income: 862 square feet
Boilerplate Apartment Size: 861 square feet
Boilerplate Apartment Hire: $992 per calendar month
Price Per Foursquare Pes at Boilerplate Rent: $1.15 per month

Located near the southern terminus of California's breadbasket, the Primal Valley, Bakersfield is only over 100 miles n of fundamental Los Angeles — less than two hours by automobile on a good day. Culturally and economically, Bakersfield couldn't be more than different from its bigger neighbor.

Unlike Fifty.A., whose superficial glamour belies an endlessly diverse economy, Bakersfield is dominated by ii industries: agronomics and free energy. Indeed, Bakersfield — non Midland, Texas, or Williston, North Dakota — is the seat of the country's nigh productive oil-producing county. The surrounding croplands are amidst the nation'due south most fertile thanks to temperate winters, unquenchable sunshine, and vast groundwater reserves that remain acceptable for now — although their eventual drawdown is most certain to provoke an environmental catastrophe like the one already in progress in far southern California'due south Purple Valley. Thanks to its sunny climate and persistent winds, Bakersfield is emerging as a major renewable energy hub, promising new sources of employment equally the region's fossil fuel industry declines.

Bakersfield is no paradise, though. Yes, Sequoia National Wood and the rest of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains lie inside easy driving distance, providing welcome respite from the summertime heat. Just, come summer, the valley itself is dry, dusty, and forbidding. It's too dwelling house to the curious fungal pathogen responsible for valley fever, a serious and potentially fatal illness that disproportionately affects agronomical workers and is likely to get more common every bit the Primal Valley's climate warms and dries.

Still, if you're looking for an affordable foothold in sunny southern California and easy access to the high Sierras, Bakersfield is your best bet.

14. Greensboro, N Carolina

Greensboro North Carolina Le Bauer Park Night Downtown

Population: 294,722
Unemployment Charge per unit: 10.three%
What You Get for 30% of Area Median Income: 858 square feet
Boilerplate Apartment Size: 937 square feet
Average Flat Rent: $876 per calendar month
Price Per Square Foot at Boilerplate Rent: $0.93 per month

Greensboro, the largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region of N Carolina, has lately seen more than its share of economic disruption. Greensboro was in one case a major seat of power for the tobacco industry; employment in that sector has declined precipitously since the late 20th century. Textile manufacturing was one time a big business hither also, but competition from cheaper markets such as Mexico and Mainland china has slowed production.

However, Greensboro is doing quite well. The city is a regional hub for finance, logistics, health care, manufacturing, and high-tech enquiry. Major employers in the area include Honda Aircraft, Volvo Trucks, Mack Trucks, Lincoln Financial Grouping, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, FedEx, and the Us Post.

Winston-Salem, another Piedmont Triad city, deserves an honorable mention here as well. Greensboro and Winston, as it's known locally, are well within commuting distance of ane another, and the latter is but marginally less affordable for upkeep-conscious renters.

fifteen. Corpus Christi, Texas

Corpus Christi Texas Downtown Skyline Water Front

Population: 326,554
Unemployment Rate: 10.0%
What Y'all Get for 30% of Area Median Income: 845 foursquare feet
Average Flat Size: 849 square anxiety
Boilerplate Apartment Hire: $965 per month
Price Per Square Human foot at Average Rent: $1.fourteen per month

Hundreds of miles from the renter-friendly suburbs of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Corpus Christi offers a breezier, slower-paced take on affordability. Among the U.s.a.' most populous beach towns, but Virginia Beach can friction match Corpus Christi's affordability. Miami this is not, although it's nearly as warm — virtually frost-free, in fact, cheers to persistent warm breezes off the Gulf of Mexico.

Despite ample supplies of sun and sand, Corpus Christi is more than a year-round tourist destination. With the largest helicopter repair facility in the world, amidst other specialized facilities, Naval Air Station Corpus Christi is a major local employer. The side by side civilian port is the land's 5th-largest by volume, and the surrounding waters harbor extensive oil and gas reserves.

Corpus Christi'due south Gulfside location is a double-edged sword. To say Corpus is hurricane-decumbent would be an understatement; the metropolis'due south stormwater management organization tin barely keep up with run-of-the-manufacturing plant thunderstorms. Rising ocean levels exacerbate the threat, as does embankment and channel erosion caused by man activity. The good news for renters: Conveying flood insurance and cleaning upward subsequently storms are problems for your landlord.

16. Fremont, California

Fremont California Coyote Hills Regional National Park

Population: 237,807
Unemployment Rate: 12.0%
What You lot Go for 30% of Area Median Income: 843 square feet
Average Flat Size: 831 square anxiety
Average Apartment Rent: $2,406 per calendar month
Price Per Square Foot at Average Rent: $2.90 per month

A renter-friendly city in the San Francisco Bay Area? Really?

You lot're not dreaming. Fremont isn't exactly San Francisco; located in the southern East Bay or northern Due south Bay, depending on your preference, it'south much closer in context and graphic symbol to San Jose. But it'southward near enough to the centre of Silicon Valley to serve renters who tin't afford or justify impossibly high housing prices in exclusive communities similar Palo Alto and Mountain View. Prevailing rents here are thirty% to 40% lower than in communities right across the Bay — still pricey by national standards, only a steal compared with what's next door.

For those not interested in testing the Bay Expanse'southward reputation for long commutes, Fremont has a solid in-boondocks employment base. Tesla, the electric car and battery manufacturer, employs thousands at a massive facility here; other major employers include hard disk drive manufacturer Western Digital, medtech house Boston Scientific, information storage firm Seagate, and health giant Kaiser Permanente.

17. Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville Florida Usa Downtown City Skyline

Population: 903,889
Unemployment Rate: 7.4%
What You Get for 30% of Area Median Income: 838 foursquare anxiety
Average Flat Size: 966 square anxiety
Boilerplate Apartment Hire: $i,063 per month
Price Per Square Foot at Average Hire: $1.10 per month

Roofing 747 square miles of land, Jacksonville is the largest U.Southward. city by state expanse and 1 of the dozen or so largest by population. Located in northeastern Florida's Commencement Declension region, Jacksonville has been inhabited by native peoples for thousands of years. It likewise housed some of the get-go permanent European settlements in the continental The states, established years earlier the British arrived in Massachusetts and Virginia.

Post-obit the Civil War, Jacksonville has been an important hub for the U.Due south. Navy. And, since it's i of the near affordable places in Florida, it has gained favor as a budget-friendly vacation town and retirement destination.

Jacksonville isn't entirely about fun in the lord's day though. Lots of people work here, particularly in the finance, logistics, and retail sectors. Major companies include CSX Corporation, Fidelity National Financial, Southeastern Grocers, Swisher International, RailAmerica, and the Port of Jacksonville. As in Virginia Beach, these workers have plenty of room to spread out cheers to Jacksonville's seemingly endless hinterland, and new multifamily housing starts easily continue pace with the region'south rapidly growing population.

18. Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas Nevada Usa Night Hotels Water Fountain Scaled

Population: 644,644
Unemployment Rate: sixteen.4%
What You Get for 30% of Area Median Income: 820 foursquare feet
Average Apartment Size: 894 square anxiety
Average Apartment Rent: $i,051 per month
Cost Per Foursquare Pes at Average Hire: $1.eighteen per month

Although it's adjacent to North Las Vegas, Las Vegas earns a divide entry on this list by virtue of its cardinal place in the public imagination.

Millions of people visit the Las Vegas Strip every year, it's truthful. Many never venture beyond it. Because most of the Strip is actually located in the neighboring unincorporated towns of Winchester and Paradise, these less adventurous visitors may never actually prepare human foot in Las Vegas proper.

They're missing out. Across the Strip and the kitschy downtown casinos, Las Vegas looks much like any other big city in the southwestern United States, with tidy gated communities and Mission-manner houses sprawling out toward the mountains rimming the valley.

Although tens of thousands of locals piece of work in the hospitality, gaming, food service, and transportation industries, tech companies — anchored by online footwear retailing giant Zappos — have been growing every bit well. That's putting the area on the radar for young, mobile professionals who accept no interest in the gaming manufacture.

19. Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington Kentucky Horse Farm Blue Grass

Population: 323,780
Unemployment Rate: five.5%
What Y'all Get for xxx% of Expanse Median Income: 810 square feet
Average Apartment Size: 901 square feet
Average Apartment Rent: $898 per month
Price Per Foursquare Foot at Average Hire: $1.00 per month

Lexington is Kentucky's second largest city. Despite Louisville's claim to the Kentucky Derby, Lexington bills itself as the "horse capital letter of the world" cheers to the surrounding Bluegrass region'south deeply ingrained equestrian civilisation. It'south also a major educational center for the Mid-South, with the Academy of Kentucky and Transylvania University collectively educating tens of thousands of students each twelvemonth.

Despite its agrarian roots, Lexington's economy is diverse and surprisingly forward-looking. In addition to the Academy of Kentucky, major employers include UPS, Amazon, Trane, Toyota, IBM, Lockheed-Martin, Lexmark International, and crane manufacturer Link-Chugalug Structure Equipment. There's enough of affordable rental housing to go around, both in the student-heavy urban core and the suburban apartment communities ringing information technology.

20. Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis Tennessee Blues Club Beale Street

Population: 650,618
Unemployment Rate: 13.0%
What You Get for 30% of Area Median Income: 806 foursquare anxiety
Average Apartment Size: 910 square feet
Average Flat Hire: $788 per month
Price Per Square Foot at Average Rent: $0.86 per calendar month

Downtown Memphis is perched on a bluff above the Mississippi River, and the city spreads outward in three directions from at that place. Many outlying communities in the Memphis metropolitan area, including portions of northern Mississippi and eastern Arkansas, are even more affordable than Memphis proper, although crossing the river daily can exist a task for commuters.

Although the region's economy has seen its share of ups and downs, it'south congenital on a solid base that includes the global headquarters of AutoZone, FedEx, and International Newspaper. Other major Memphis-expanse employers include Cargill Cotton, American Residential Services, Carrier, Merck, and Medtronic.

Memphis is known every bit a bastion of barbecue and music — locals brag about the distinctive Memphis manner. The Memphis International Jazz Festival and Beale Street Music Festival are globe-renowned. Nearby Graceland is a magnificent tribute to Elvis Presley and the musical genres he spawned. Memphis also hosted consequential events of the civil rights move, including the bump-off of Dr. Martin Luther Rex, Jr.

21. El Paso, Texas

El Paso Texas Desert Mountains Sunrise Rocky

Population: 682,669
Unemployment Rate: 8.seven%
What You Go for xxx% of Surface area Median Income: 800 foursquare feet
Average Apartment Size: 814 square feet
Average Apartment Hire: $770 per month
Price Per Square Foot at Average Rent: $0.95 per month

Located in the westernmost corner of Texas, barren El Paso holds down the United States' portion of the El Paso-Juarez metropolitan surface area, also known as Paso del Norte. With nearly 3 million residents, Paso del Norte is the largest contiguous urban area bisected by the U.Southward.-Mexico border.

Commencement-time visitors to Paso del Norte are invariably shocked past the region's economic and cultural cohesiveness. Indeed, the border is a real economic asset that has, over time, transformed the region a major hub for international trade and manufacturing. El Paso is the largest U.S. port of entry on the Mexico border, surpassing the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa crossings virtually San Diego. Although drug cartel violence is a legitimate business concern on the Juarez side of the border, El Paso is safer than most similarly sized U.S. cities, with a friendly, shut-knit vibe that makes information technology experience much smaller than its 700,000 souls.

Many El Paso residents work in the public sector. Fort Bliss, a massive armed forces base near the urban center, is a major colonnade of the economic system. So are the local public school districts, U.Due south. Customs and Border Patrol, the City of El Paso, the County of El Paso, and the Academy of Texas at El Paso. Major private sector employers include Automated Data Processing, DISH Network, University Medical Center, Western Refining, and Helen of Troy Limited — the parent visitor of recognizable consumer brands such equally Dr. Scholl's and OXO.

22. Kansas City, Missouri

Population: 491,918
Unemployment Rate: seven.6%
What You lot Get for 30% of Area Median Income: 798 square anxiety
Average Apartment Size: 899 square feet
Average Flat Rent: $979 per month
Price Per Square Foot at Average Rent: $1.09 per calendar month

Kansas City is the anchor of a major metropolitan surface area straddling the Kansas and Missouri borders. Thanks to its central location within the continental Usa, Kansas City is a major logistics hub and a central operation for the federal authorities. In fact, more than than 100 federal agencies take a presence in the city and its suburbs, including the Internal Revenue Service, the National Nuclear Security Assistants, the General Services Assistants, and the Social Security Administration. When it arrived in the 20th century, the federal employment base provided valuable stability in an agricultural region previously prone to economic boom-and-bust cycles.

Aside from the federal government, Kansas Metropolis's employment base of operations includes heavy manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and agronomics. Ford and General Motors both have major manufacturing plants here. So does Honeywell, whose Kansas City facility manufactures non-nuclear components for the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal. Sanofi-Aventis, a pharmaceutical giant, has an important inquiry facility that focuses on animal health. Dairy Farmers of America, i of the country's largest agricultural cooperatives, is headquartered in the surface area too.

23. Indianapolis, Indiana

Population: 867,125
Unemployment Rate: vii.7%
What You lot Get for 30% of Expanse Median Income: 797 square feet
Average Apartment Size: 879 square feet
Boilerplate Flat Rent: $858 per calendar month
Price Per Foursquare Foot at Boilerplate Rent: $0.98 per month

Fondly known as the "Crossroads of America" or simply "Indy," Indianapolis is conveniently located within a day'southward drive of many of the United states of america' largest cities, including New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Chicago.

Unsurprisingly, Indy is a major manufacturing and logistics hub. The area is home to three Fortune 500 companies: Anthem, Simon Holding Grouping, and Eli Lilly and Company. Other major companies with global headquarters or large facilities include Commonwealth Airways Holdings, Terminate Line, Calumet Specialty Products Partners, and Allison Transmission Holdings. In the Swell Lakes region, Indy's thriving startup economy — helped along past the region's loftier quality of life and low cost of living — is 2nd merely to Chicago's.

Indianapolis has a vibrant, diverse culture too. Its best-known result is the annual Indianapolis 500 auto race — by some measures the world's largest single-mean solar day sporting upshot. Indy has besides hosted the Super Basin and the NCAA Men's Basketball game Tournament — not surprising given it'due south the home to the NCAA headquarters, the governing body for collegiate athletics in the United States.

24. Lincoln, Nebraska

Population: 287,401
Unemployment Rate: 5.0%
What You Get for thirty% of Area Median Income: 796 square anxiety
Average Apartment Size: 943 square feet
Average Flat Rent: $959 per month
Cost Per Square Foot at Average Rent: $i.02 per calendar month

Nebraska'southward 2nd-largest city is the state capital and home of the flagship campus of the University of Nebraska, the region'southward tertiary-largest employer. Unsurprisingly, the local culture is heavily influenced past the academy and its huge student population. College football is the unquestioned regional pastime here; Husker fans are near-religious in their fervor.

In improver to the academy, the Land of Nebraska, Lincoln Public Schools, and several regional health care companies provide a solid, stable base of employment. Lincoln isn't the most glamorous, beautiful, or exciting metropolis in the globe, simply it's affordable, friendly, and shut-knit — a great place for newly arrived renters to find their feet and make a go of things.

Final Give-and-take

The old cliche about every real estate marketplace existence different holds true. In fact, it's not uncommon to meet stark differences across fairly short distances. I live in Minneapolis, where xxx% of area median income nets 465 square feet — pretty cozy by American standards. In neighboring St. Paul, just across the Mississippi River, 30% of expanse median income is good for about 544 square feet — not a vast deviation, to be sure, but certainly more breathing room.

The relative priciness of Minneapolis rental housing wound upward the deciding gene in my family's decision to buy a house in an up-and-coming Minneapolis neighborhood. Compared with nearby rental housing, the place seemed like a steal, and we reasoned that the surface area'southward possessor-occupied housing values had more room to run. Had we been looking for housing in a more affordable metro for renters, we surely would have idea more carefully nearly whether to rent or buy.

Source: https://www.moneycrashers.com/best-affordable-cities-live-renters/

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