Cheap cities to live in. (In the USA)

[Os Cangaceiros]

Does anyone have knowledge in regards to this topic? IE cities with low costs of living (cheap housing, food etc). I've looked at a couple webpages dedicated to this topic, but I thought that I'd put it out there for people here to respond to.

I've heard that the midwest (Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska etc) has a pretty low living cost...

[Ocean Seal]

The South is pretty cheap as well. You could try Georgia or North Carolina.

[Dumb]

Indianapolis is pretty cheap, too, and the economy doesn't appear to be too bad there.

[Blackscare]

Well, you always have to balance cost of living vs income you can expect to make in a given place. You can buy a (very shitty) house in Detroit for $500, just don't expect a job (or neighbors, for that matter).

[MarxSchmarx]

Well, you always have to balance cost of living vs income you can expect to make in a given place. You can buy a (very shitty) house in Detroit for $500, just don't expect a job (or neighbors, for that matter).

Detroit is pretty messed up, apparently there are plants that haven't been seen in over 150 years being recorded in the city now. But $500?! For real??

[Os Cangaceiros]

Well, you always have to balance cost of living vs income you can expect to make in a given place. You can buy a (very shitty) house in Detroit for $500, just don't expect a job (or neighbors, for that matter).

Having a job is not important to me, I'm working every single day now, have been for a couple months and will continue to be for another couple months, and am expending basically no money, so I'm going to have quite a bit saved by the time I'm done. I'm kind of planning on taking an extended vacation in a city somewhere and not work for eight or nine months, as I don't really have any obligations. But I don't have that much money, so it'd have to be relatively cheap, IE not Hawaii or New York City or any place like that.

I'd love to own a house, though, even if it was a complete shithole. I'd probably hate my life if I lived in Detroit, though...

[Os Cangaceiros]

Although I'll probably just move somewhere where I actually know people. I don't know, I just like exploring new places, probably won't go through with my pipe dreams though *shrug*

[PC LOAD LETTER]

Although I'll probably just move somewhere where I actually know people. I don't know, I just like exploring new places, probably won't go through with my pipe dreams though *shrug*
voluntary homelessness

[o well this is ok I guess]

Although I'll probably just move somewhere where I actually know people. I don't know, I just like exploring new places, probably won't go through with my pipe dreams though *shrug* I'd grab the 500 detroit house. You don't even have to live there, just stay there as a vacation.

[Ostrinski]

Georgetown KY is a very cheap place to live, though it's tiny, boring, and there's nothing to do.

[The Douche]

Places with the lower cost of living are gonna be smaller and more boring.

My town is cheap, you can easily rent a one bedroom apartment in good shape and a reasonable neighborhood for $500. Gas is something like $3.30 a gallon. There are plenty of jobs, but people generally don't make more than $15/hour at the highest around here, the average is probably $8 an hour.

[thriller]

Midwest for sure. Cheap, relatively quite (unless your in Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis or Milwaukee). Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska are your best bet for cheap prices. Wyoming can be cheap too (but you don't want to really live there, do you?).

[PC LOAD LETTER]

Places with the lower cost of living are gonna be smaller and more boring.

My town is cheap, you can easily rent a one bedroom apartment in good shape and a reasonable neighborhood for $500. Gas is something like $3.30 a gallon. There are plenty of jobs, but people generally don't make more than $15/hour at the highest around here, the average is probably $8 an hour.
Murdaland sounds like a nice place.

[Ele'ill]

Having a vehicle opens up more options cause you can live in it and if you have to you can sell it. Do you have a vehicle?

[Terminator X]

Columbus, Ohio is a decent place to live cheaply. Large university (Ohio State) with lots of cheap food and entertainment on campus. Transit system sucks ass, but at least one exists and isn't too bad if you live in the downtown/campus area. There are an obscene number of apartment rentals in the campus area (although they tend to fill up quickly when school is in session), with one-bedrooms in the $500-$600 range (although you tend to get what you pay for). If you want to buy a house eventually, some of the suburbs are quite nice and prices are extremely low due to the foreclosure problems in the state.

[Lynx]

Find a ghost town, might be able to stay there for free.

[Fawkes]

What do you want out of the city?

Beyond just low cost of living, what other aspects appeal to you? What role does cultural diversity, climate, city layout, living space, etc. play?

Every city in the U.S. has "cheap" housing, even New York, it just depends on what you're willing to sacrifice in exchange for low rent.

Another thing to take into account is that the vast majority of American cities have god awful public transportation. Cars are expensive



Anyway, here comes a rant:

New York City is fuckin expensive. But, relative to other American cities, it's actually pretty average for cost. People think of NYC as being outrageously more expensive than everywhere else because they think of NYC as Manhattan south of 125th st. Yeah, you're gonna pay well over $1000/mo. for a tiny ass room in the Lower East Side, but I pay $600/mo. for a very big room (I'm in a 3 bedroom) in central Brooklyn a 30 minute train ride from downtown Manhattan and a 10 minute ride to Downtown Brooklyn using a monthly unlimited metrocard that cost me $104 (which is a lot, but still cheap relative to a car). And you can find places even cheaper than that, you just have to go to one of the other boroughs or further into Brooklyn. And while nightclubs and movie theaters may be expensive, given the size and diversity of nyc, you can easily entertain yourself for little or no money. I'm not trying to encourage you to come to new york, nor am I trying to ignore its very many, serious faults, I'm just trying to give some perspective. I'm sure much of what I said applies to most American cities with reputations for high cost of living.


edit: I meant to say that my portion of the rent is $600 out of $1800

[Pretty Flaco]

Indianapolis is pretty cheap for a larger city. Chicago is probably infinitely better but I bet it costs you a fuckton more.

[NoOneIsIllegal]

Omaha, NE.

Mid-size city (city: half a million, metro: close to a million), plenty to offer, very low crime, and very affordable housing. It has one of the best living-standards in the country. I make jack-shit pay and I live in a pretty damn nice place for how little money I make. Not any other city on either coast can really boast that.

[mew]

Portland, Or is pretty cheap and there's a lot of things to do/there's a high quality of life there. It's hard to find a job though.

[KurtFF8]

New York City is pretty cheap, especially Manhattan

[#FF0000]

scrantons p cheap and it's like right between new york and philly (about 2 hours drive to either)

[Ele'ill]

Portland, Or is pretty cheap and there's a lot of things to do/there's a high quality of life there. It's hard to find a job though.

Portland sucks and there's nothing to do here.

[The Douche]

Portland sucks and there's nothing to do here.

Let's swap towns for 2 weeks and we'll see if you still feel that way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salisbury,_Maryland

[Raúl Duke]

What do you want out of the city?

Beyond just low cost of living, what other aspects appeal to you? What role does cultural diversity, climate, city layout, living space, etc. play?

Every city in the U.S. has "cheap" housing, even New York, it just depends on what you're willing to sacrifice in exchange for low rent.

Another thing to take into account is that the vast majority of American cities have god awful public transportation. Cars are expensive



Anyway, here comes a rant:

New York City is fuckin expensive. But, relative to other American cities, it's actually pretty average for cost. People think of NYC as being outrageously more expensive than everywhere else because they think of NYC as Manhattan south of 125th st. Yeah, you're gonna pay well over $1000/mo. for a tiny ass room in the Lower East Side, but I pay $600/mo. for a very big room (I'm in a 3 bedroom) in central Brooklyn a 30 minute train ride from downtown Manhattan and a 10 minute ride to Downtown Brooklyn using a monthly unlimited metrocard that cost me $104 (which is a lot, but still cheap relative to a car). And you can find places even cheaper than that, you just have to go to one of the other boroughs or further into Brooklyn. And while nightclubs and movie theaters may be expensive, given the size and diversity of nyc, you can easily entertain yourself for little or no money. I'm not trying to encourage you to come to new york, nor am I trying to ignore its very many, serious faults, I'm just trying to give some perspective. I'm sure much of what I said applies to most American cities with reputations for high cost of living.


edit: I meant to say that my portion of the rent is $600 out of $1800

I agree with your rant. I'm so surprised that when people think of "NYC" their imagination of it is restricted to solely Manhatten and move there without even considering the other boroughs. Hell, you can even live in NJ and just take the PATH or Hudsen-Bergen Light Rail (and the ferry from Hoboken); parts of Jersey is basically an extra borough of NYC.

[#FF0000]

scranton is also in one of the top 4 drunkest counties in the united states if that will sway your opinion

[Ele'ill]

Let's swap towns for 2 weeks and we'll see if you still feel that way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salisbury,_Maryland

Afterwards I'd say Portland and Salisbury Maryland suck.

[The Douche]

Afterwards I'd say Portland and Salisbury Maryland suck.

Indeed, we're always looking for a place that doesn't exist, it seems.

[Ele'ill]

Indeed, we're always looking for a place that doesn't exist, it seems.

It's here in our hearts.

[PC LOAD LETTER]

It's here in our hearts.
A darkness carried in the heart cannot be cured by moving the body from one place to another (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkrSrvsgsAI)

[Ele'ill]

A darkness carried in the heart cannot be cured by moving the body from one place to another (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkrSrvsgsAI)

It's not a darkness it's a big ball of fire.

[black magick hustla]

calgary is the city i've been to where it is the easiest to make money. it kinda sucks but its a 1mil city so it cant be that bad

[maskerade]

don't mean to derail the thread but i have a similar question: any places on the west coast in the states that are cheap? doesn't have to be a city, just warm and by the ocean.

[The Douche]

don't mean to derail the thread but i have a similar question: any places on the west coast in the states that are cheap? doesn't have to be a city, just warm and by the ocean.

The impression I get from the west coast is that the cheap places have no job market.

[maskerade]

The impression I get from the west coast is that the cheap places have no job market.

considering i'm not american i'm assuming it'd be hard to get a job anyway? i just want to save up and bum around for a bit, california seems like the ultimate place to do that. but i suppose my idea of what california is like is entirely romanticized.

[Magón]

considering i'm not american i'm assuming it'd be hard to get a job anyway? i just want to save up and bum around for a bit, california seems like the ultimate place to do that. but i suppose my idea of what california is like is entirely romanticized.

Yeah, California isn't the haven of "young nomads", it was painted as for a while in some circles. Nowadays most typical Californians are just pricks, and don't want people coming to live here, because most themselves can't get the jobs that those coming in, get or already have when coming here. Same goes for tourists: "Don't have a lot of money to spend? Don't come to California."

And just generally, California is known as one of the worst states to be hit by the recession in everything: Homes, jobs, schools, etc.

[L.A.P.]

Naples; there's nothing to do and it's incredibly fucking expensive. There is no reason for this place to exist.

[Princess Luna]

According to this (http://save.lovetoknow.com/Cheapest_States_to_Live_In) Oklahoma is the cheapest state, only the 6th poorest, and unlike Alabama sex toys are not illegal!