Where Americans Are Actually Affording to Live (Without Sacrificing Safety)

Finding a city where your paycheck doesn’t evaporate and you can sleep without worry? Turns out it’s possible—just not where most people think.

GOBankingRates dug through crime stats and cost-of-living data across 150+ US cities (population 10k+) to identify sweet spots combining low crime and wallet-friendly housing. The standout finding: Ohio dominates the list with 7 of the top 15 entries—way more than any other state.

Here’s the real numbers:

Most affordable tier (~$35-37k annually):

• New Philadelphia, Ohio: $1,101/month mortgage, violent crime 0.69 per 1,000
• San Elizario, Texas: Just $989/month, nearly crime-free (0.10 violent crime rate)
• New Ulm, Minnesota: $1,316/month, ultra-safe at 0.29 violent crime

Sweet spot tier ($40-45k annually):

• Columbus, Indiana: Larger city (51k people), only $1,548/month, extremely low violent crime (0.19)
• Edwardsville, Illinois: Best livability score (90/100), $1,789/month
• Trenton, Michigan: Highest livability in the list (86/100)

The pattern’s clear: smaller Midwest towns keep costs down while maintaining community safety. Home values range from $167k (San Elizario) to $313k (North Ridgeville), with property taxes and overall cost of living staying surprisingly reasonable.

Data as of Feb 2025 | Sources: FBI crime stats, US Census, Zillow, Bureau of Labor Statistics