Find Your Affordable Place

Search any city, state, or ZIP code to see affordability rankings

Try: "Austin, TX" or "90210" or "California"

Understanding Affordability Scores (0-100)

Our scores range from 0-100 and include housing, food, healthcare, transportation, taxes, and quality of life — not just home prices!

80-100
Very Affordable
Top 20% in US
60-79
Affordable
Above average
40-59
Moderate
About average
20-39
Expensive
Below average
0-19
Very Expensive
Bottom 20% in US

State Rankings

All 50 states plus DC ranked by affordability

View all states →
RankStateScore (0-100)Home Value
#1North Dakota97$232,298
#2West Virginia97$135,169
#3Oklahoma97$162,194
#4Louisiana97$166,159
#5Mississippi97$145,530
#6Kansas97$161,708
#7Iowa97$190,536
#8Arkansas96$178,259
#9Illinois97$178,488
#10Indiana96$222,999

Large Cities

Cities with 100K+ population

View all large cities →
RankCityScore (0-100)Population
#1Memphis, TN94629,063
#2Shreveport, LA93183,483
#3Jackson, MS93149,827
#4Detroit, MI91636,644
#5Montgomery, AL89198,440
#6Toledo, OH89268,461
#7Cleveland, OH87367,523
#8Akron, OH86189,526
#9Baltimore, MD82577,193
#10Oklahoma City, OK79688,693
#11Peoria, IL78112,126
#12Columbus, GA75204,383
#13Cedar Rapids, IA75136,859
#14Wichita Falls, TX75102,558
#15Davenport, IA74101,083
#16Fishers, IN74100,918
#17Beaumont, TX72113,710
#18League City, TX72114,885
#19Dayton, OH72136,741
#20South Bend, IN72102,866

Mid-Size Cities

Cities with 50K-100K population

View all mid-size cities →
RankCityScore (0-100)Population
#1Youngstown, OH9959,605
#2Gary, IN9768,604
#3Enid, OK9450,821
#4Flint, MI9180,835
#5Port Arthur, TX9155,779
#6Lawton, OK9090,662
#7Anderson, IN8954,930
#8Waterloo, IA8966,947
#9Midwest City, OK8758,170
#10Atascocita, TX8693,926
#11Moore, OK8463,045
#12Madison, AL8358,335
#13Florissant, MO8351,915
#14Bartlett, TN8356,998
#15Leander, TX8267,880
#16North Little Rock, AR8164,504
#17Decatur, IL8070,368
#18Hammond, IN7977,098
#19Kokomo, IN7959,375
#20Albany, GA7867,939

Least Affordable Small Towns

Towns under 50K population - ranked by highest cost (worst affordability first)

View all towns →
RankTownScore (0-100)Population
#1Wilson, WY01,255
#2Oak Bluffs, MA01,357
#3Medina, TX04,073
#4Aspen, CO06,862
#5Harwich Port, MA02,011
#6Mountain Village, CO01,713
#7Atherton, CA07,021
#8Meredith, NH02,887
#9Big Sky, MT02,388
#10Sea Isle City, NJ02,079
#11Summerland, CA01,248
#12Avalon, NJ01,478
#13Montecito, CA08,823
#14Johnson City, TX01,952
#15Bay Head, NJ01,201
#16Inverness, CA01,396
#17Telluride, CO02,595
#18Wolfeboro, NH02,420
#19Chatham, MA01,614
#20Bolinas, CA01,176

How Our Composite Score Works

Our Affordability Score (0-100) is a composite percentile that combines multiple factors:

  • Housing (60%): Monthly housing payment vs income (includes mortgage, taxes, insurance)
  • Essentials (25%): Food, healthcare, transportation costs relative to income
  • Taxes (10%): Income and sales tax burden
  • Quality of Life (5%): Safety, schools, walkability

Higher scores = more affordable. A score of 80 means more affordable than 80% of US locations.

Data Sources: Zillow (home values), Census ACS (income, demographics), C2ER (cost of living), and government tax databases. Updated monthly.

Read full methodology →