{"id":38147,"date":"2020-03-03T14:44:02","date_gmt":"2020-03-03T22:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/?p=38147"},"modified":"2020-03-03T14:44:02","modified_gmt":"2020-03-03T22:44:02","slug":"these-are-the-most-affordable-states-in-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/these-are-the-most-affordable-states-in-america\/","title":{"rendered":"The 10 Most Affordable States In America"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"centered\">\nTrying to find an affordable state to live in can be a necessity\u2014and a real pain. Everywhere feels expensive, and in the places where things don\u2019t cost a fortune, you can\u2019t always find a job or make that much money. What to do?<br \/>\nWell, for one thing, we here at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Movoto Real Estate<\/a> Blog can help you out by determining affordable states are the easiest on your wallet. We\u2019ve found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/top-ten\/most-affordable-places-in-wisconsin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">affordable cities<\/a> before, but now we\u2019ll show you which of the 50 states offers the best deals for bargain hunters out there. The most affordable states are:<br \/>\n1. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/ia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Iowa<\/a><br \/>\n2. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/ok\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oklahoma<\/a><br \/>\n3. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/ks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kansas<\/a><br \/>\n4. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/ne\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nebraska<\/a> (tie)<br \/>\n4. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/tx\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Texas<\/a> (tie)<br \/>\n6. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/in\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Indiana<\/a><br \/>\n7. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/wv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">West Virginia<\/a><br \/>\n8. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/ar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Arkansas<\/a> (tie)<br \/>\n8. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/ky\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kentucky<\/a> (tie)<br \/>\n10. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/la\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Louisiana<\/a><br \/>\nYou can check the table at the bottom to see the full rankings of every state, and use the map above to see how your home state did compared to others. Surprised by any of these? Let\u2019s look at the methods to our mathematical map-ness of affordable states.<\/p>\n<h2>Our Methodology<\/h2>\n<p>To get these results for this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/kind-of-a-big-deal-lists\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Big Deal List<\/a>, we did everything by the numbers. That meant turning to Sperling\u2019s Best Places, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.census.gov\/2010census\/data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2010 U.S. Census<\/a>, and the Census&#8217; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.census.gov\/acs\/www\/data_documentation\/data_main\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">American Community Survey<\/a> for 2008 through 2012 for data in the following affordable state criteria:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Adjusted Income (the higher the better)<\/li>\n<li>Cost of Food Index (the lower the better)<\/li>\n<li>Cost of Utilities Index (the lower the better)<\/li>\n<li>Miscellaneous Cost of Living Index (the lower the better)<\/li>\n<li>Median Home Price (the lower the better)<\/li>\n<li>Unemployment Rate (the lower the better)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Using that data, we ranked the states in each category from 1 to 50, and then averaged each state&#8217;s rankings into an overall Big Deal Score. The place with the lowest number for that averaged score became our most affordable state, and that turned out to be Iowa.<br \/>\nNow that you know how we came up with the list, here\u2019s the state-by-state summary, giving some perspective on the survey\u2019s ups, downs, and interesting data points.<\/p>\n<h2>1. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/sitemap\/ia\/\">Iowa<\/a>: Getting To The Heart Of Affordability In The American Heartland<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s easy to afford nice things when you\u2019re making more money, right? Well, with the sixth highest income, the seventh most inexpensive housing, and the fourth lowest unemployment, this state had savings galore. It\u2019s no wonder it took No. 1 on our list.<\/p>\n<h2>2. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/sitemap\/ok\/\">Oklahoma<\/a>: The Sooner You Get There, The Sooner You Can Start Saving<\/h2>\n<p>Oklahoma offered locals low costs of food, utilities, and the lowest miscellaneous costs of living in the nation. It also had quite a selection of affordable housing and low unemployment, with the slightly lower median income being the only reason it didn\u2019t make No. 1.<\/p>\n<h2>3. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/sitemap\/ks\/\">Kansas<\/a>: There\u2019s No Place As Affordable As Home<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s easy to afford the basics here, seeing as the place had the fifth highest income, the second least expensive food, and the fifth least expensive utilities. The only reason Kansas didn\u2019t rank higher was its slightly higher miscellaneous costs of living.<\/p>\n<h2>4. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/sitemap\/ne\/\">Nebraska<\/a>: Keeping Costs Down In The Cornhusker State<\/h2>\n<p>The utilities in this state may be a little higher, but they were still not unreasonable, and that was the only real drawback. The median income was high, the unemployment was low, and the miscellaneous costs of living tied for the lowest on our entire list.<\/p>\n<h2>4. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/sitemap\/tx\/\">Texas<\/a>: Everything\u2019s Bigger In Texas\u2026 Even The Savings<\/h2>\n<p>The cost of utilities here wasn&#8217;t the cheapest, but still scored in the top half of our ranking. More than that, the cost of food was the lowest on our list, the income was high, and median home prices were quite affordable. If you want big deals, they do seem to be bigger in Texas.<\/p>\n<h2>6. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/sitemap\/in\/\">Indiana<\/a>: Prices Will Leave You Saying Woo-Hoo! In The Hoosier State<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for a reasonably priced home, this is the place to go. With high income and the eighth least expensive houses, living well here is very doable. The main reason this place didn\u2019t rank in the top five was the slightly higher unemployment rate, at around nine percent.<\/p>\n<h2>7. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/sitemap\/wv\/\">West Virginia<\/a>: Smaller Paychecks, But Huge Deals<\/h2>\n<p>The fine folks here didn\u2019t make nearly as much as in other places, but the kind of savings they got definitely made up for it. The cost of food tied for the second lowest, the miscellaneous costs of living were low and, most notably, the home prices here were the very lowest on our list.<\/p>\n<h2>8. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/sitemap\/ky\/\">Kentucky<\/a>: Decent Jobs, When You Can Get Them<\/h2>\n<p>The median income here was just okay, and the unemployment rate was a little high. Other than that, this place was all about affordability. The low cost of food, utilities, and miscellaneous necessities, as well as the very low home prices, all backed up that fact well.<\/p>\n<h2>8. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/sitemap\/ar\/\">Arkansas<\/a>: When It Comes To Home Prices, This State Rules<\/h2>\n<p>Tying for No. 8 was a state with low costs of food, utilities, and housing. Miscellaneous costs of living were also very low for locals. The only potential problems here were the relatively lower income and the slightly higher unemployment rate.<\/p>\n<h2>10. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/sitemap\/la\/\">Louisiana<\/a>: Gonna Have Inexpensive Fun On The Bayou<\/h2>\n<p>Making it into our top 10 was a state with somewhat lower income, but also very low house prices and low unemployment. The costs of living, food, and utilities were also very low, with the cost of utilities in particular being the second lowest on our list.<\/p>\n<h2>11. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/va\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Virginia<\/a>: It\u2019s For Lovers Of Savings<\/h2>\n<p>The houses here were actually kind of expensive, truth be told, but the rest of the savings were phenomenal. The cost of food and miscellaneous costs of living were very low, and the utilities costs weren\u2019t completely unreasonable. Of course, it\u2019s easy to afford things when you have the third highest income in the nation.<\/p>\n<h2>12. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/ut\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Utah<\/a>: Busy Enjoying Savings In The Beehive State<\/h2>\n<p>In general, the scores here were just pretty solid. The median home prices here were a little higher than average, but the income was also the 13th highest, so it balanced out a little bit. Plus, the fourth least expensive utilities and 14th lowest unemployment certainly helped things.<\/p>\n<h2>13. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/sitemap\/nd\/\">North Dakota<\/a>: The Roughrider State Is Easy On Utility Costs<\/h2>\n<p>A lot of scores here were pretty middle of the pack, including the cost of food and median income. However, this place also had low home prices, the lowest unemployment, and the very lowest cost of utilities in the nation. That\u2019s certainly nothing to scoff at.<\/p>\n<h2>14. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/tn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tennessee<\/a>: Agriculture And Commerce Don\u2019t Mean High Prices In This State<\/h2>\n<p>The unemployment was a little high in these parts, and the adjusted income was just average, but there were still tons of savings to be had. From the seventh ranked cost of food and miscellaneous costs of living, to the fairly low home prices, there are deals to be had here.<\/p>\n<h2>15. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/sitemap\/wy\/\">Wyoming<\/a>: The Equality State Is All About Job Availability<\/h2>\n<p>This state is wide open and beautiful, and they have some decent savings as well. The utilities were affordable, the income was the 16th highest, and the miscellaneous costs of living were low. The standout here, though, was the very promising third lowest unemployment rank.<\/p>\n<h2>16. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/id\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Idaho<\/a>: The Gem State Is A Diamond In The Rough For Low Food Prices<\/h2>\n<p>Besides the middle-of-the-pack scores in unemployment and home prices, Idaho actually has some good affordability if you know where to look. The cost of food was the ninth lowest and the cost of utilities was very affordable at the 16th lowest.<\/p>\n<h2>17. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/sd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">South Dakota<\/a>: Cold In The Winter, But The Job Market Is Hot<\/h2>\n<p>This state had some rather middling scores in income, food, and utilities, but nothing too unreasonable. However, the low-priced homes and impressive second lowest unemployment rate really set this place ahead.<\/p>\n<h2>18. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/oh\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ohio<\/a>: High Income\u2026 But, Oh, That Unemployment<\/h2>\n<p>Ohio had a few ups and downs. The unemployment was a little high, as was the cost of utilities. However, the median income was the 14th highest and the median home price was the 15th lowest, and even the cost of food was reasonably affordable.<\/p>\n<h2>18. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/mo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Missouri<\/a>: Things Look Great Until You Show Me That Utilities Bill<\/h2>\n<p>Tied for No. 18, Missouri had some pretty high utilities prices. However, it also had reasonably priced homes, food, and miscellaneous costs of living. Even the median income was decent enough for many people to live off of.<\/p>\n<h2>20. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/il\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Illinois<\/a>: Livable Income In The Land Of Lincoln<\/h2>\n<p>We should start by saying that unemployment was pretty high here, so that dragged this place\u2019s score down considerably. That being said, Illinois also offered reasonably priced food and miscellaneous costs of living. It was also notable that the median income was the second highest on our whole list.<\/p>\n<h2>21. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/mi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michigan<\/a>: Great Lakes, Great Savings, And\u2026 Not-So-Great Unemployment<\/h2>\n<p>The cost of food here was the 12th lowest, the income was the 15th highest, and the median home prices were very affordable, ranking the 13th lowest. However, this place had the worst unemployment on our list, keeping it out of the top 20 affordable states.<\/p>\n<h2>22. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/co\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Colorado<\/a>: Rocky Mountain High Home Prices<\/h2>\n<p>This state did have a perk or two. The utilities were the 11th most affordable, and the income was pretty middle of the pack. However, the home prices here were awfully high, at well over $230,000, making this state a \u00a0little less affordable.<\/p>\n<h2>23. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/wi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wisconsin<\/a>: At Least The Cheese Is Pretty Affordable<\/h2>\n<p>First in a tie for 23rd, Wisconsin had some areas that didn\u2019t fare too well, namely the costs of utilities and miscellaneous costs of living. However, the rest of this place\u2019s scores were mostly in the top half, with the food being fairly affordable and the unemployment being decently low.<\/p>\n<h2>23. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/ms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mississippi<\/a>: Great Deals On Homes, If You Can Get That Paycheck<\/h2>\n<p>There are a few big plusses to living in Mississippi. The miscellaneous costs of living were low, the food was the sixth most affordable, and the median home prices were the second lowest in the nation. However, the unemployment was very high, and the income was very low.<\/p>\n<h2>25. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/nv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nevada<\/a>: The Silver State Takes Bronze For Utilities<\/h2>\n<p>Most scores here were pretty fair, and Nevada scored in the top half for income and cost of food. The cost of utilities was even the third lowest in the nation. The main problem with affordability here was the second worst unemployment on our list.<br \/>\n&nbsp;\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"centered\">\n<h2>26. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/md\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Maryland<\/a>: Where You Can Be Merry About Your Income, And Sad About Home Prices<\/h2>\n<p>This state was the first in a three-way tie for 26th, for some pretty apparent reasons. Things tended to be a little expensive here, with high-cost food, utilities, and homes. At the same time, the miscellaneous costs of living were low and the median income was the highest on our list.<\/p>\n<h2>26. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/ga\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Georgia<\/a>: A Peachy Place, If You Can Find Employment<\/h2>\n<p>While the majority of categories in this state were in the top half of the rankings, and the income was reasonably high, there were a few problems too. The most noticeable problem was the very high unemployment, ranking in the bottom 10 for that category.<\/p>\n<h2>26. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/al\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alabama<\/a>: At Least The Home Prices Are Sweet<\/h2>\n<p>Last in this three-way tie was Alabama. The problems here were mostly surrounding the high unemployment and low income, with utilities being a little expensive too. However, on the plus-side, the home prices were the sixth lowest, so at least something in this state was affordable.<\/p>\n<h2>29. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/az\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Arizona<\/a>: If You Can\u2019t Stand The Heat\u2026<\/h2>\n<p>While the scores here weren\u2019t the worst, most were outside the top half of the rankings, with unemployment being the poorest ranking for this state. Though they weren\u2019t perfect, this place at least had decent scores for utilities and miscellaneous costs of living.<\/p>\n<h2>30: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/mn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Minnesota<\/a>: Friendly People, Not-So-Friendly Costs Of Living<\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s start with the good. The unemployment in this state was low, and the adjusted income was the seventh highest on \u00a0our list. Aside from those scores, though, Minnesota didn\u2019t rank outside the bottom 20 in any category, making this place less than affordable.<\/p>\n<h2>31. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/pa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pennsylvania<\/a>: Virtue, Liberty, And Some High Utility Bills<\/h2>\n<p>Admittedly, the income in this state was pretty high, but the cost of food and houses were only middling at best. On top of that, the unemployment was fairly high, and the cost of utilities was nearly impossible to afford.<\/p>\n<h2>32. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/nm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New Mexico<\/a>: Nothing New About These High Bills<\/h2>\n<p>On the upside of things, the cost of food wasn\u2019t completely unreasonable, nor were the utilities or homes. On the other hand, the unemployment was a little high, as were the miscellaneous costs of living, and the income was the in the bottom 10 for its ranking of affordable states.<\/p>\n<h2>33. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/wa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Washington<\/a>: My Expensive Home With Affordable Utilities<\/h2>\n<p>Affording a home here would be a bit of a problem, considering they scored within the 10 most expensive in the nation. The cost of food was also very high, and the income was mediocre at best. At least locals can take solace in their fifth least expensive utilities.<\/p>\n<h2>34. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/nc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">North Carolina<\/a>: First In Fight, Not So Well-Ranked In Unemployment<\/h2>\n<p>The best you can say about the affordability of this state is that the utilities and homes weren\u2019t completely unreasonable. More than that, though? The unemployment was very high, and the income was low enough to make many things downright unaffordable.<\/p>\n<h2>35. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/mt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Montana<\/a>: Big Sky Country Isn\u2019t So Big On Savings<\/h2>\n<p>We\u2019ll start by saying that the income here was dismal, as was the cost of food. The home prices and miscellaneous costs of living didn\u2019t fare much better. The two advantages here were the 11th lowest cost of utilities and a low unemployment rate.<\/p>\n<h2>36. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/nh\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New Hampshire<\/a>: Living Free Has Never Been So Expensive<\/h2>\n<p>The income here was high, and the unemployment was the seventh lowest on our list. Other than that, this place had problems. The biggest problems were probably the second highest cost of miscellaneous living expenses, and the very high cost of utilities.<\/p>\n<h2>37. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/fl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Florida<\/a>: At Least The Beaches Don\u2019t Cost Anything, Right?<\/h2>\n<p>Florida may be pretty, but it comes at a high price. The adjusted income was fairly low, the food cost was fairly high, and the various costs of living were pretty unaffordable. The worst, though, was the third highest unemployment rate in our rankings.<\/p>\n<h2>38. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/me\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Maine<\/a>: Maybe They Call It Vacationland Because No One Can Afford To Live There<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s a nice place to visit, but given the low income and high costs of food and utilities, it\u2019s kind of a hard place to live in. On the upside, the home prices were pretty middling, and the unemployment rate was thankfully the 15th lowest in the nation.<\/p>\n<h2>39. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/sc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">South Carolina<\/a>: You Could Afford A Home\u2026 If You Could Get a Job<\/h2>\n<p>Unlike our 38th ranked of affordable states, this spot actually had fairly high unemployment and fairly low income. Throw in very expensive costs of utilities and food, despite almost reasonable home prices, and you\u2019ve got a fairly unaffordable place to call home.<\/p>\n<h2>40. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/de\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Delaware<\/a>: Decent Income, But Sky High Bills<\/h2>\n<p>This state did have two upsides, the first of which was a fairly low unemployment rate, and the second of which was a fairly high adjusted income. However, with incredibly high costs of food, utilities, and homes, that\u2019s where the the good news ended.<\/p>\n<h2>41. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/or\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oregon<\/a>: Being Busy As A Beaver Still Won\u2019t Buy You Happiness<\/h2>\n<p>Affording just about anything in Oregon is pretty difficult. The adjusted median income of this not so affordable state was low, the home prices were high, and the unemployment was pretty difficult to ignore. The fact that the cost of food and cost of utilities were both in the more expensive half of our list was poor consolation.<\/p>\n<h2>42. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/vt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vermont<\/a>: You Can Find A Job, But Not One That\u2019ll Pay For Your Utilities<\/h2>\n<p>There is one upside to the affordability of this state, and that\u2019s the unemployment, which was the sixth lowest on our entire list. Beyond that, though, this place still had expensive utilities, food, and an adjusted median income which is hard to look upon favorably.<\/p>\n<h2>43. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/nj\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New Jersey<\/a>: Plenty Of Cash, But Way Too Much To Spend It On<\/h2>\n<p>Like Vermont, New Jersey did have one positive stat. The adjusted income here was ninth highest on our list, but that still wouldn\u2019t be enough to deal with the third highest cost of utilities, the third highest home prices, and the very high unemployment.<\/p>\n<h2>44. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/ct\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Connecticut<\/a>: Putting Food On The Table Is Harder Than It Sounds<\/h2>\n<p>It is true that the median adjusted income in this state was the 12th highest on our list. It is also true, though, that this place had the third highest cost of food, a very high cost of utilities, and even very high priced houses. It also didn\u2019t help that the unemployment was pretty high too.<\/p>\n<h2>44. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/ak\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alaska<\/a>: Living Surrounded By White Snow Costs A Ton Of Green<\/h2>\n<p>Second in a tie for the 44th in our ranking of affordable states, Alaska is a beautiful but pricey place to call home. For example, this state had the second most expensive cost of food, very expensive utilities, and very expensive houses. The only upside here was that the unemployment ranked in the better half of our list.<\/p>\n<h2>46. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/ma\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Massachusetts<\/a>: The Bay State Is Barely Affordable<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for something positive about the affordability here, you can at least say that the unemployment wasn\u2019t the absolute worst on our list. On the other hand, though, not a single ranking besides that scored out of the bottom 20 affordable states.<\/p>\n<h2>47. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/ny\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New York<\/a>: Bright Lights, Big Monthly Bills<\/h2>\n<p>Most affordability scores here were in the bottom 10 on our affordable states list, including the costs of food, utilities, and housing. The unemployment rate wasn\u2019t the worst, but it was still fairly high compared to many other places. All told, this was just a pretty expensive state to call home.<\/p>\n<h2>48. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/hi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hawaii<\/a>: Paradise Costs A Pretty Penny<\/h2>\n<p>You probably expected this place to be on our more expensive list of affordable states, and it earned that ranking. The income, cost of food, cost of utilities, and cost of housing were all the worst on our list. This place\u2019s only saving grace was that the unemployment was the eighth lowest on our list.<\/p>\n<h2>49. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/ri\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rhode Island<\/a>: Big Prices In Little Rhody<\/h2>\n<p>This cute little state had big bills for locals. The cost of utilities, food, and miscellaneous living expenses all ranked in the bottom 10 on our list. The home prices were very high, the adjusted income was very low, and the unemployment was ranked 36th out of 50. Yikes.<\/p>\n<h2>50. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California<\/a>: That Costs HOW Much?!<\/h2>\n<p>The bottom of our affordable states ranking&#8230; Where to begin? The home prices were the second-highest, the adjusted median income was the second-lowest, and all of the costs of living ranked near the bottom of our list. Even unemployment was ranked in the bottom five. California is expensive and that\u2019s all there is to it, especially in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/san-francisco-ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">San Francisco<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>At Least You Can Afford To Pay Attention<\/h2>\n<p>At least we assume you can if you\u2019ve read over all these state stats. Still, there are affordable states, and unaffordable places in just about every state, and we can help you find them. After all, we sell houses when we\u2019re not making maps like this, and we\u2019re sure we can find a place that is right for your unique financial needs.\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trying to find an affordable state to live in can be a necessity\u2014and a real pain. Everywhere feels expensive, and in the places where things don\u2019t cost a fortune, you can\u2019t always find a job or make that much money. What to do? Well, for one thing, we here at the Movoto Real Estate Blog can help you out by determining affordable states are the easiest on your wallet. We\u2019ve found affordable cities before, but now we\u2019ll show you which of the 50 states offers the best deals for bargain hunters out there. The most affordable states are: 1. Iowa [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38212,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[120,57],"tags":[136,154],"class_list":["post-38147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-relocating","category-top-places","tag-affordability","tag-affordable-housing","post--single"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The 10 Most Affordable States In America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The most expensive states to live in might not be the ones you expected. 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Check out our list of affordable states that won&#039;t break your wallet.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/these-are-the-most-affordable-states-in-america\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Movoto Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MovotoRealEstate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-03-03T22:44:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/affordable-states-featured.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"523\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Movoto\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@movoto\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@movoto\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Movoto\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"16 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/these-are-the-most-affordable-states-in-america\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/these-are-the-most-affordable-states-in-america\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Movoto\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f718eb6eb7cb4bf8f536b984e969ae9e\"},\"headline\":\"The 10 Most Affordable States In America\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-03T22:44:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/these-are-the-most-affordable-states-in-america\/\"},\"wordCount\":3244,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/these-are-the-most-affordable-states-in-america\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/affordable-states-featured.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Affordability\",\"Affordable Housing\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Relocating\",\"Top Places\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/these-are-the-most-affordable-states-in-america\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/these-are-the-most-affordable-states-in-america\/\",\"name\":\"The 10 Most Affordable States In America\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/these-are-the-most-affordable-states-in-america\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/these-are-the-most-affordable-states-in-america\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/affordable-states-featured.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-03T22:44:02+00:00\",\"description\":\"The most expensive states to live in might not be the ones you expected. 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