Cheapest Places to Live in America
If you're getting close to retirement—or you have already retired—one of the most important things for long-term enjoyment is finding the best ways to save the most money. One of those ways is to find the cheapest places to live in America. Although there are many cheap places to live overseas, you can find cheap retirement places right here in the U.S.A.
Granted, what defines a "cheap place to live" differs depending on the criteria. Things like property values, health care, utilities, and even food can make a difference between "affordable" and "out of reach." So for our purposes, a "cheap place to live in America" will take a variety of these factors into account.
- It doesn't get much more affordable than "free," and if you want land, there are free plots available. Thanks to "Mini Homestead Acts" and other offers, organizations such as the Center for Rural Affairs provide all kinds of information on ways to get land for free. The only catch is that you have to be willing to live in a rural area, and there may be some restrictions on land use, as well as rules regarding the type of buildings that you can build. So if these are actually benefits for you, these are the easily the cheapest places to live in America.
- If you're looking to purchase a home but would like to keep payments less than $600 a month, you might be surprised just how many options there are. Places such as Phoenix, Tampa, and Las Vegas might not be considered cheap places to live. And at one time, they weren't.
But the fall in housing prices has placed a number of very nice, and very affordable, homes within reach for those on limited budgets. And with interest rates at historical lows, now is a good time to buy a house for those with good credit and a down payment. Just make sure to take into account the other expenses (utilities, gasoline, and even taxes), when putting together your budget.
Buying a retirement home for under $600 a month - If you're more of the renting type of person, then almost anywhere you move in America will be cheaper than buying when it comes to housing. The question is whether you're the type of person who wants to travel, likes being close to a large city with public transportation, or prefers somewhere better suited for the things you want to do, such as golfing, fishing, etc. For example, if you like to travel to Europe instead of the Caribbean, living somewhere like Charlotte, NC, could be considered a cheap place to live. Rent is affordable and available, it has a large airport that offers direct flights to many European cities, and it doesn't get too cold in the winter. If you're more of a Caribbean traveler, there are many attractive cities not just in Florida, but in southern Alabama and Mississippi as well, such as Biloxi. They feature similar weather, offer beachfront views, have very affordable costs of living, and are close to where you want to visit.
Cities where it's better to buy or rent - If you prefer to keep your travel stateside and you like to travel a lot, one of the cheapest places to live in America is... nowhere! Well, technically, it'd be an RV, with a post office box or perhaps even small home centrally located. While you would have upfront costs of the RV itself, after that, you can stay at literally thousands of high-quality parks all across the nation. Some of them not only offer amenities such as pools, parks, and shopping, but also offer long-term leases so you know you'll always have a spot. You can even buy or rent somewhere close to family as a "permanent" residence, yet spend your winters in warmer regions.
Free Campgrounds
When all is said and done, the best piece of advice to finding a cheap place to live in America is the easiest: use your imagination. That doesn't mean just conjure it up in your head! It means looking for options you might not have considered, moving past just housing costs or location, and finding exactly the right place.
You've worked too hard to get to this point. There's no reason to sell yourself short now.