Spacious
Utah is home to Zion National Park, the Great Salt Lake, Lagoon Amusement Park, and Bryce Canyon, as well as many other awesome attractions. While looking at all these natural and manmade wonders is usually free or at least low-cost, living in this beautiful state isn’t quite that cheap. Still, there must be a way to find affordable living, right?
At
Movoto Real Estate, we think there’s always a place for spendthrifts, even in the housing market. We decided to sit down, put aside our tax forms and bills, and look at some financially-friendly numbers for a change as we determined the most affordable places in Utah. That list of savings-friendly spots is:
1. City of
American Fork
2. City of
Payson
2. City of
Eagle Mountain
4. City of
Spanish Fork
5. City of
Springville
6. City of
Lehi
6. City of
Cedar Hills
8. City of
Pleasant Grove
9. City of
Saratoga Springs
10. City of
Clinton
You might be searching for
Salt Lake City on that list or maybe
West Valley City . You can find out how well or poorly those two places did by looking at the bottom of this post, where we have all of the locations we looked at listed. If you’re wondering how we got this ranking, spend a little time (not money, we swear) with us as we examine our methodology in calculating these results.
How We Were Busy As A Bee For The Beehive State’s Results
While this list is all about not spending anything, we decided to spend a little time on finding these rankings. How? All by the numbers. We collected data from places like the U.S. Census and American Community Survey about each of the most populated places in the state over 10,000 people. That gave us 53 different places to look at, which may be a lot of data, but we knew what to do with it. The data fell into one of six categories, and those vwere:
- Food costs
- Utility costs
- Miscellaneous costs
- Median home price
- Unemployment rank
- Adjusted median income
After we got those numbers, we ranked them for each place from 1 to 53, with one being the best. We took those rankings and averaged them together in one
Big Deal Score for each place, and the spot with the lowest overall score was named our most affordable winner.
Now, you may notice if you look at our list at the bottom, that there are a lot of tied in rankings for food, unemployment, and utilities. What that tells us is that there are a lot of fantastic places in this state, and they’re affordable for mostly the same reasons. Let’s focus on only 10 of those great spots, our top 10, starting with our winner.
To get the most bang for your buck, you’ve got to go to American Fork. Though the place is only home to 27,147 residents, they are living the good life with a very low cost of food, cost of utilities, and miscellaneous cost of living. Additionally, the adjusted income here ranks eighth at $70,579 which makes getting by easier for the folks that live there.
For an affordable fun time, locals can also go to see free concerts every Monday during the summer, or just enjoy the many different parks that the city has to offer. Skaters will be happy to find that Greenwood Skate Park is free to enjoy and and occasionally hosts events and competitions.
You might expect a city with the word “pay” in the name to be a pretty costly place to live, but that simply isn’t the case with Payson. The cost of food is very low, and the unemployment rate is also a very low 5.4 percent. For those in search of housing, the median home price is the second lowest in our top 10 at $186,300, making this a good place to buy for an inexpensive but still very full way of life.
Foodies are going to love Payson, not only for its inexpensive amenities, but also for the many awesome festivals. From salmon to onions, this place has a celebration or shop for every type of munchie, including those from local growers. For folks who want to walk on the wild side, there’s even a yearly Scottish festival. Haggis anyone?
Flying high and tied for No. 2 with Payson is Eagle Mountain and its 23,212 inhabitants. For those who want to keep active while keeping their cash, this is a great place as it’s home to 42 different parks, including a skate part. For those who want to soar but don’t have a board or blades, there is also the Mountain Ranch Bike Park for mountain bikers of all experience levels.
Beyond the biking, boarding, and playing, Eagle Mountain allows for comfortable living all around. With a high employment rate and a fairly high adjusted income of $59,348. The median home price ranks No. 16 on our list for that criterion and the costs of utilities and food are both very low. In short, Eagle Mountain has every right to roost at No. 2 on our overall rankings.
If you’re looking for diversity, you’ve come to the right place. There’s always something exciting, sometimes weird, and ever cultural going on on Spanish Fork.
The Icelandic Days festival celebrates Icelandic independence day every year in a three-day event. Annual Fiesta Days celebrates latino and Mexican heritage and includes food, a duck race, and a fireworks display. And, of course, there’s the massive Festival of Colors, where thousands gather at the local Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple to celebrate Holi. For only three dollars admission, it’s a colorful and fun time for all.
For all that awesome, the price should be high, but it’s really not. The food prices here are still very low, the median home price is still decent, and the employment rate is still ranked a high No. 12 on our list. The adjusted income is also still none too bad, at $59,947, so the colorful and eclectic fun can be totally affordable to all.
Art City, as it’s sometimes called, ranks No. 5 on our overall rankings due to some very affordable stats. People looking to buy a home might be pleased to find that the median home price here ranked No. 19 on our list for that category, and that 94.6 percent of the people here are employed. The food is quite affordable, especially at places like Ginger’s Garden Cafe, where you simply have to try the many tasty vegetarian and vegan dishes.
From folk dancing events to art walks, this place focuses on culture and the creative way of life. However, most of these events are free or have low costs, so the thrifty don’t have to miss any refinement or cultural experiences.
Saddle up for a look at Lehi, which tied for No. 6 on our list and is home to some 30,621 people. The median home price here is affordable, and the unemployment is low at only 5.4 percent. The cost of food and utilities are both also quite low, which makes this a very cost-friendly place to live.
The reason you should saddle up, however, is because this place is home to a real heck of a rodeo every year. Round Up Week has a parade, pageants, food, and of course all the bull-riding and bronco-busting you could ever want, all for a low price for locals.
Cedar Hills is tied with Lehi for No. 6, and offers a cheap but fun way of living to its small population of 10,063. With it being such a small place, you might think there are a scarcity of jobs, but that’s not the case here. 94.6 percent of people are employed, and there’s a stunning median household income of $98,438 which ranks No. 1 on our list for that criterion.
It’s a common thought that small cities are all about family and community, and that’s certainly true here. Family Festival is a yearly event in June that spans several days. It has a carnival, lots of food, games, rides, music, and of course fireworks on the last night. The focus is bringing the city together and celebrating the family and friendly ties that bind them all together.
For a very pleasant and non-wallet emptying time, people need look no further than Pleasant Grove. The food, utilities, and home prices here are all reasonable, and it’s home to 34,519 people.
Those worried about landing a well paying job can breathe a little easier, considering the adjusted median income in this city is $64,715, scorith 19th for that ranking. Plus, more than 94 percent of people are employed here, so entering the working world won’t be much of a serious worry.
The Strawberry Festival has been happening here since 1921, and is still a majorly fun time for locals even today. Though the city doesn’t exactly grow strawberries, they use this inexpensive event to grow the bonds of the community and just to have fun.
Saratoga Springs claims that “life’s just better here,” and we’re inclined to agree. The median home price is quite reasonable, and ranks No. 18 on our list for that category. The unemployment rank is very low, as is the miscellaneous cost of living, and the many amenities here include such places as Sean’s Smokehouse BBQ, where you just have to try the inexpensive and unique cornbread salad.
On the good life front, Saratoga Springs is ready to spring into action in order to cheaply entertain its 21,137 inhabitants. The city hosts one week of nonstop fun in June, called Saratoga Splash Days, which offers food, music, games,a parade, and numerous competitions for people of all ages. During the rest of the year, residents can play golf or hang out in the beautiful Neptune Park.
Little Clinton picks up the last spot in our top 10, but not without showing off some great numbers. The adjusted income ranking here is a high No. 16, and the median home price is quite affordable at No. 12 for that ranking. The miscellaneous costs of living here ranks No 1, the least expensive of any place on our list.
Where this place really shines is in employment. Only 5.3 percent of people here are unemployed, which is second place for that ranking, and means that getting the most bang for your buck won’t be much of a problem here.
There are many different parks here in which to spend a relaxing and fun time, and the city has many rec league sports options for those looking to stay active. Those simply looking to eat something really tasty on the cheap will be able to find it at Pizza Pie Cafe, where it’s all you can eat all the time.
Where “Industry” And Affordability Meet
While having good jobs and affordable living seems to come naturally to some places in this state, there are others who don’t seem to have it figured out yet.
St. George in particular didn’t seem as worker-friendly as other places as its unemployment rate ranked No. 51 for that category and the adjusted income ranked No. 46. Heber also did poorly, ranking No. 52 overall due to a low adjusted income, high cost of food, and low employment rate. The city of
Washington finished up our bottom three with a very low unemployment rate and very expensive, food, utilities, and miscellaneous costs.
If you’re looking for someplace cheap to live, these three might not be the places for you. But if you are looking for someplace full of life, tasty food, and fun that won’t break the bank, places like American Fork and Payson are still there just waiting for you.
(click to enlarge table)
Featured Image Source: Gautam Dogra
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