In the era of economic uncertainty that is 2025, finding every single creative way to save money is likely becoming the name of the game for many. Whether it’s shopping for the biggest sales, or belt tightening and not spending, or taking a side hustle, the instability created by a tariff-rattled economy along with the hangover of COVID-era inflation might have you looking for every financial corner to cut.
Find Out: Here’s How Much You Need To Earn To Be ‘Rich’ in Every State
Learn More: How Middle-Class Earners Are Quietly Becoming Millionaires — and How You Can, Too
One potential way to save money is to decrease your rent, grocery costs and overall cost of living. How? By moving to a cheaper city in your state.
Recently, GOBankingRates consulted Zillow’s data on the 2,500 largest cities in America with regards to housing market size. From those cities, GOBankingRates located the ones with the lowest 2025 rent, along with low cost-of-living elements (such as groceries, healthcare, rent, transportation and utilities), selecting the lowest out of each of the 50 states. Wondering where the cheapest place to live in your state might be?
Also see the cost of living in every state.
Gadsden, Alabama
- Annual cost of living: $31,807
- Annual rent: $9,000
- Annual groceries: $5,581
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Also Read: Check Out the Median Salary of Americans Your Age in Every State
Anchorage, Alaska
- Annual cost of living: $46,262
- Annual rent: $19,296
- Annual groceries: $7,403
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Sierra Vista, Arizona
- Annual cost of living: $39,046
- Annual rent: $16,956
- Annual groceries: $5,775
Van Buren, Arkansas
- Annual cost of living: $32,020
- Annual rent: $10,992
- Annual groceries: $5,660
Porterville, California
- Annual cost of living: $39,321
- Annual rent: $15,024
- Annual groceries: $5,956
Canon City, Colorado
- Annual cost of living: $36,344
- Annual rent: $15,288
- Annual groceries: $6,089
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East Hartford, Connecticut
- Annual cost of living: $42,706
- Annual rent: $16,908
- Annual groceries: $6,289
Dover, Delaware
- Annual cost of living: $42,867
- Annual rent: $19,332
- Annual groceries: $6,259
Avon Park, Florida
- Annual cost of living: $39,727
- Annual rent: $17,100
- Annual groceries: $6,132
Waycross, Georgia
- Annual cost of living: $32,048
- Annual rent: $10,200
- Annual groceries: $5,762
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Wahiawa, Hawaii
- Annual cost of living: $58,317
- Annual rent: $26,652
- Annual groceries: $8,371
Rexburg, Idaho
- Annual cost of living: $33,299
- Annual rent: $12,432
- Annual groceries: $5,581
Carbondale, Illinois
- Annual cost of living: $31,245
- Annual rent: $8,448
- Annual groceries: $5,750
Richmond, Indiana
- Annual cost of living: $29,157
- Annual rent: $9,336
- Annual groceries: $5,502
Muscatine, Iowa
- Annual cost of living: $29,386
- Annual rent: $8,400
- Annual groceries: $5,775
See More: How Much Money Is Needed To Be Considered Middle Class in Every State?
Hutchinson, Kansas
- Annual cost of living: $29,877
- Annual rent: $8,676
- Annual groceries: $5,629
Frankfort, Kentucky
- Annual cost of living: $32,454
- Annual rent: $11,760
- Annual groceries: $5,756
Lake Charles, Louisiana
- Annual cost of living: $33,595
- Annual rent: $11,712
- Annual groceries: $5,623
Waterville, Maine
- Annual cost of living: $36,531
- Annual rent: $15,396
- Annual groceries: $6,325
Cumberland, Maryland
- Annual cost of living: $33,347
- Annual rent: $12,408
- Annual groceries: $6,120
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Holyoke, Massachusetts
- Annual cost of living: $41,141
- Annual rent: $18,420
- Annual groceries: $6,362
Saginaw, Michigan
- Annual cost of living: $33,520
- Annual rent: $11,640
- Annual groceries: $5,357
Austin, Minnesota
- Annual cost of living: $30,132
- Annual rent: $10,512
- Annual groceries: $5,654
Jackson, Mississippi
- Annual cost of living: $35,645
- Annual rent: $13,812
- Annual groceries: $5,799
Rolla, Missouri
- Annual cost of living: $29,662
- Annual rent: $8,196
- Annual groceries: $5,805
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Great Falls, Montana
- Annual cost of living: $33,130
- Annual rent: $11,676
- Annual groceries: $6,059
Norfolk, Nebraska
- Annual cost of living: $34,130
- Annual rent: $10,740
- Annual groceries: $5,865
Pahrump, Nevada
- Annual cost of living: $38,539
- Annual rent: $16,104
- Annual groceries: $6,089
Rochester, New Hampshire
- Annual cost of living: $43,374
- Annual rent: $20,856
- Annual groceries: $6,277
Millville, New Jersey
- Annual cost of living: $42,685
- Annual rent: $19,656
- Annual groceries: $6,120
Also See: The Living Wage a Family of Four Needs in All 50 States
Clovis, New Mexico
- Annual cost of living: $32,853
- Annual rent: $13,740
- Annual groceries: $5,672
Jamestown, New York
- Annual cost of living: $31,821
- Annual rent: $10,956
- Annual groceries: $5,762
Asheboro, North Carolina
- Annual cost of living: $32,662
- Annual rent: $11,676
- Annual groceries: $5,678
Minot, North Dakota
- Annual cost of living: $32,323
- Annual rent: $10,812
- Annual groceries: $6,107
Marietta, Ohio
- Annual cost of living: $31,989
- Annual rent: $10,500
- Annual groceries: $6,017
Consider This: How Much You Need To Earn To Be Upper Middle Class in Every State
Ponca City, Oklahoma
- Annual cost of living: $32,883
- Annual rent: $8,676
- Annual groceries: $5,526
Klamath Falls, Oregon
- Annual cost of living: $34,981
- Annual rent: $14,124
- Annual groceries: $5,890
Meadville, Pennsylvania
- Annual cost of living: $29,811
- Annual rent: $8,736
- Annual groceries: $5,744
Woonsocket, Rhode Island
- Annual cost of living: $42,655
- Annual rent: $18,672
- Annual groceries: $6,319
Greenwood, South Carolina
- Annual cost of living: $30,381
- Annual rent: $10,224
- Annual groceries: $5,738
Explore More: The Money You Need To Save Monthly To Retire Comfortably in Every State
Brookings, South Dakota
- Annual cost of living: $34,940
- Annual rent: $13,788
- Annual groceries: $6,083
Elizabethton, Tennessee
- Annual cost of living: $32,092
- Annual rent: $10,908
- Annual groceries: $5,726
Donna, Texas
- Annual cost of living: $30,770
- Annual rent: $9,624
- Annual groceries: $5,357
Cedar City, Utah
- Annual cost of living: $36,876
- Annual rent: $16,200
- Annual groceries: $5,575
Burlington, Vermont
- Annual cost of living: $49,474
- Annual rent: $24,372
- Annual groceries: $6,749
Check Out: How Long $1 Million in Retirement Will Last in Every State
Danville, Virginia
- Annual cost of living: $35,677
- Annual rent: $14,172
- Annual groceries: $5,599
Yakima, Washington
- Annual cost of living: $35,811
- Annual rent: $15,120
- Annual groceries: $5,986
Clarksburg, West Virginia
- Annual cost of living: $33,414
- Annual rent: $10,800
- Annual groceries: $5,805
Wausau, Wisconsin
- Annual cost of living: $32,113
- Annual rent: $11,196
- Annual groceries: $5,545
Rock Springs, Wyoming
- Annual cost of living: $36,846
- Annual rent: $13,008
- Annual groceries: $5,557
Methodology: For this piece GOBankingRates looked at the 2,500 largest cities in terms of housing market size, according to Zillow’s March 2025 data. With these cities isolated, GOBankingRates found the city with the cheapest 2025 rent and from there found the annual essentials (Rent, Groceries, Utilities, Transportation, and Healthcare) cost of living for these places. Cost-of-living figures were calculated by first finding the annual average expenditure, as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2023 Consumer Expenditure Survey and from there used cost-of-living indices sourced from Sperling’s Best Places. For ME, ND, and VT the market size was relaxed to 4,000. All data was collected on and is up to date as of May 14, 2025.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Here’s the Cost of Living in the Least Expensive City in Every State
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
