We’ve all heard the horror stories coming from some of the country’s most beautiful cities: folks can’t afford the cost of living and are commuting for hours every day just to be able to pay rent. While it’s easy to feel hopeless about the affordability of some places in America, there’s so good news, too.

U.S. News & World Report ranks cities for affordability based on how much of their income residents spend on housing, as well as the cost of utilities and taxes. These five cities are ranked the most affordable, and they’re great places to live, work, and play…without working three jobs to live.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania holds the number five spot on the list of affordable cities.

Tomas Stenstrom/EyEm/via Getty Images The largest city in the top five, Pittsburgh has a population of 2,348,143 people. Residents have a median annual salary of $48,580 and spend an average of just 20.51% of their income on housing.

Pittsburgh is well-known for its history in the steel industry, but it’s reimagined itself and is now a newly-emerging hub for tech and education.

Holcy/iStock/Getty Images Plus/via Getty Images If you love to spend time outdoors, Pittsburgh is the place to be - it has more than 2,000 acres of city parks alone. Point State Park, shown here, is just one of many parks and green spaces.

Fayetteville, North Carolina takes the fourth place spot on the list of affordability in the U.S.

DenisTangneyJr/iStock Getty Images Plus/via Getty Images Because they spend just 20.44% of their income on housing, the roughly 514,000 people who live here are able to spend more cash on non-essential items.

Fayetteville is a melting pot of people from all over the world, which makes it a wonderful, diverse place to live.

Rawpixel/iStock/Getty Images Plus/via Getty Images People who live here also enjoy some fun venues for live music, great restaurants, and beautiful city parks.

Des Moines, Iowa comes in at number three on the list.

Monty Goodyk/Moment Collection/via Getty Images The 620,000 folks who live here enjoy a great housing market and spend just 20.11% of their income to afford it.

Recent revitalization has brought a vibrant nightlife to the city, and residents enjoy all kinds of festivals and cultural events year-round.

cnicbc/iStock/Getty Images Plus/via Getty Images Tons of great recreation spaces grace Des Moines, including Gray’s Lake Park, shown here.

Fort Wayne, Indiana ranks second on this list.

Deb Perry/Moment Collection/via Getty Images The city’s population is approximately 429,000, and its residents spend 19.57% on housing.

Steeped in history and tradition, Fort Wayne has a cherished past.

ChrisBoswell/iStock Getty Images Plus/via Getty Images It’s also community-focused, with fun street fairs like the annual Busker Festival, which celebrates street entertainers, and plenty of green spaces and parks.

The town of Huntsville, Alabama is number one on the U.S. News list for affordability.

Rob Hainer/iStock/Getty Images Plus/via Getty Images The roughly 445,000 people who live here only pay an average of 19.3% of their income on housing, and the median yearly income is $53,600.

Huntsville’s vibrant aerospace and engineering community contributes to the city’s well-being and overall education.

toddmedia/E+/via Getty Images The city has also seen some revitalization in many of its neighborhoods recently, as new construction changes the landscape with hip new restaurants, shops, and living spaces.

Curious what other places were ranked high on this list? Here are the rest of the cities that made the cut:

Tomas Stenstrom/EyEm/via Getty Images

The largest city in the top five, Pittsburgh has a population of 2,348,143 people. Residents have a median annual salary of $48,580 and spend an average of just 20.51% of their income on housing.

Holcy/iStock/Getty Images Plus/via Getty Images

If you love to spend time outdoors, Pittsburgh is the place to be - it has more than 2,000 acres of city parks alone. Point State Park, shown here, is just one of many parks and green spaces.

DenisTangneyJr/iStock Getty Images Plus/via Getty Images

Because they spend just 20.44% of their income on housing, the roughly 514,000 people who live here are able to spend more cash on non-essential items.

Rawpixel/iStock/Getty Images Plus/via Getty Images

People who live here also enjoy some fun venues for live music, great restaurants, and beautiful city parks.

Monty Goodyk/Moment Collection/via Getty Images

The 620,000 folks who live here enjoy a great housing market and spend just 20.11% of their income to afford it.

cnicbc/iStock/Getty Images Plus/via Getty Images

Tons of great recreation spaces grace Des Moines, including Gray’s Lake Park, shown here.

Deb Perry/Moment Collection/via Getty Images

The city’s population is approximately 429,000, and its residents spend 19.57% on housing.

ChrisBoswell/iStock Getty Images Plus/via Getty Images

It’s also community-focused, with fun street fairs like the annual Busker Festival, which celebrates street entertainers, and plenty of green spaces and parks.

Rob Hainer/iStock/Getty Images Plus/via Getty Images

The roughly 445,000 people who live here only pay an average of 19.3% of their income on housing, and the median yearly income is $53,600.

toddmedia/E+/via Getty Images

The city has also seen some revitalization in many of its neighborhoods recently, as new construction changes the landscape with hip new restaurants, shops, and living spaces.

  • Grand Rapids, MI
  • Indianapolis, IN
  • Lafayette, LA
  • Baton Rouge, LA
  • Cincinnati, OH
  • Buffalo, NY
  • Louisville, KY
  • Youngstown, OH
  • Omaha, NE
  • Wichita, KS
  • Kansas City, MO
  • Greenville, SC
  • Tulsa, OK
  • Raleigh and Durham, NC
  • Lexington-Fayette, KY
  • Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
  • Syracuse, NY
  • Little Rock, AR
  • St. Louis, MO
  • Charlotte, NC

 

How is the cost of living in your city affecting your daily life? If you live in one of these cities, we’d love to hear first-hand about life there!

Affordability is just one of many reasons to move to another city; weather is often a factor in deciding where to live. The Farmers’ Almanac has made its predictions about the upcoming winter, and you might want to take a look to see what’s in store for your home town.

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Address: Huntsville, AL, USAAddress: Fort Wayne, IN, USAAddress: Des Moines, IA, USAAddress: Fayetteville, NC, USAAddress: Pittsburgh, PA, USA