Most Affordable Cities, Little Rock, Arkansas Leads (2026)

Name: Most affordable cities and states, The Honest Local
Creator: The Honest Local
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Little Rock, Arkansas is the most affordable of the 106 US cities we rank, with an Affordability Score of 79.6 out of 100 (Zillow, Census, BEA, 2026). Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is next, with an Affordability Score of 72.6.

By The Honest Local · 106 cities · every value links to its public source

79.6Little Rock, Arkansas leads on The Honest Local Affordability Score, 106 cities, the 100 largest metro areas and every city we coverWhat a household actually pays for a home, the basics and taxes, weighed against what people there earn, blended into one number.

The top five cities Affordability Score out of 100, and the readings behind it

No. 1Little Rock, Arkansas79.679.6 score (0-100, higher = more affordable)
No. 2Oklahoma City, Oklahoma72.672.6 score (0-100, higher = more affordable)
No. 3Baton Rouge, Louisiana72.572.5 score (0-100, higher = more affordable)
No. 4Huntsville, Alabama71.571.5 score (0-100, higher = more affordable)
No. 5Chattanooga, Tennessee71.371.3 score (0-100, higher = more affordable)

Most Affordable Cities on the map

Affordability Score, cities hover for the numbers, click for every one

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The Honest Local's own recipe, housing and everyday costs weighed against local income and taxes, blended into one score, with cities and states ranked separately.

Most Affordable Cities, all 106

The full ranking most score, 0 to 100

	Place	Affordability Scoreout of 100	Housing	Everyday	Taxes
1	Little Rock, Arkansas	79.6	9090	9090	5959
2	Oklahoma City, Oklahomabig city	72.6	9494	8181	4343
3	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	72.5	4949	9494	7575
4	Huntsville, Alabama	71.5	8686	6161	6868
5	Chattanooga, Tennessee	71.3	5454	8686	7474
6	Memphis, Tennesseebig city	70.7	7575	7575	6161
7	Jacksonville, Floridabig city	70.6	6868	6767	7676
7	McAllen, Texas	70.6	8181	8181	5050
9	Phoenix, Arizonabig city	70.1	6767	5656	8787
10	Indianapolis, Indianabig city	69.9	8787	6565	5858
11	Nashville, Tennesseebig city	69.8	4545	7979	8686
12	Louisville, Kentuckybig city	69.6	8181	7272	5656
13	Tulsa, Oklahomabig city	68.7	8080	8282	4545
14	San Antonio, Texasbig city	68.2	7777	7777	5050
15	Raleigh, North Carolinabig city	67.8	6969	7373	6262
16	Charlotte, North Carolinabig city	67.6	6767	7474	6262
17	Austin, Texasbig city	66.9	6969	7777	5656
18	Des Moines, Iowa	66.1	9696	6767	3636
18	New Orleans, Louisianabig city	66.1	4545	9393	6161
20	Wichita, Kansasbig city	65.8	9494	7070	3333
21	Durham, North Carolinabig city	65.7	7070	7272	5555
22	Cape Coral, Florida	64.8	5656	6969	6969
23	Colorado Springs, Coloradobig city	64.4	6262	5656	7575
24	Fayetteville, Arkansas	64.1	3232	8888	7373
25	Greenville, South Carolina	64.2	6565	7070	5757
26	Greensboro, North Carolinabig city	63.8	6868	7373	5151
26	Las Vegas, Nevadabig city	63.8	4545	5656	9191
28	Lakeland, Florida	63.4	4444	6969	7777
28	Tampa, Floridabig city	63.4	4242	7474	7474
30	Kansas City, Missouribig city	62.8	8484	6666	3838
31	Omaha, Nebraskabig city	62.5	8181	7878	2929
32	Toledo, Ohiobig city	62.1	8181	6161	4545
33	Boise, Idaho	61.6	4444	8181	5959
34	Melbourne, Florida	61.1	3333	6868	8282
34	Ogden, Utah	61.1	6565	5555	6363
36	Columbus, Ohiobig city	61	7777	5757	4949
37	Daytona Beach, Florida	60.8	3636	6666	8181
38	Birmingham, Alabama	60.5	6262	5959	6060
39	Jackson, Mississippi	59.7	6161	7676	4343
39	Orlando, Floridabig city	59.7	4040	6868	7272
41	Reno, Nevadabig city	59.5	3030	5555	9494
42	Akron, Ohio	59.1	7575	5757	4545
43	Dallas, Texasbig city	58	6565	5656	5353
44	Houston, Texasbig city	58.1	6565	5656	5454
45	Knoxville, Tennessee	57.8	1111	7878	8484
46	Asheville, North Carolina	57.6	3535	7171	6666
46	Tucson, Arizonabig city	57.6	3838	5959	7676
48	Columbia, South Carolina	57.4	5252	6767	5353
48	El Paso, Texasbig city	57.4	5959	6767	4747
50	Denver, Coloradobig city	56.8	6060	3737	7474
51	Salt Lake City, Utah	56.3	4545	5555	6969
51	Sarasota, Florida	56.3	1919	7070	8080
53	Dayton, Ohio	56	6363	6161	4444
53	Winston-Salem, North Carolinabig city	56	5555	6060	5353
55	Augusta, Georgia	54.4	no reading	7070	3838
56	Atlanta, Georgiabig city	54.1	6464	5858	4040
57	Charleston, South Carolina	53.1	3232	6565	6363
58	Virginia Beach, Virginiabig city	51.7	6464	4646	4545
59	Albuquerque, New Mexicobig city	51.5	6060	5757	3737
60	Provo, Utah	51.4	3030	5555	7070
61	Cleveland, Ohiobig city	50.8	5353	5757	4343
62	Grand Rapids, Michigan	50.7	6262	4545	4545
63	Cincinnati, Ohiobig city	50.2	4444	5858	4949
64	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvaniabig city	49.7	7171	2121	5656
65	Philadelphia, Pennsylvaniabig city	47.9	5353	3131	6060
66	Spokane, Washington	46.8	5353	3636	5252
67	Savannah, Georgia	46.5	2424	7070	4646
68	Seattle, Washingtonbig city	46	5454	3535	4949
69	St. Louis, Missouribig city	45.6	4545	5252	4040
70	Minneapolis, Minnesotabig city	44.3	7373	3737	2323
71	Vancouver, Washington	43.9	4545	3434	5353
72	Richmond, Virginia	40.6	3636	4747	3939
73	Baltimore, Marylandbig city	40.4	6161	3636	2424
73	Washington, DCbig city	40.4	5757	1717	4848
75	Miami, Floridabig city	39.4	1.52	4949	6868
76	Milwaukee, Wisconsinbig city	38.1	5353	4848	1313
77	Detroit, Michiganbig city	37.4	5454	2424	3434
78	Madison, Wisconsinbig city	37	4646	5050	1515
79	Portland, Oregonbig city	36.1	5757	2525	2727
80	Harrisburg, Pennsylvania	30.8	2828	2727	3737
81	Chicago, Illinoisbig city	30.3	4343	1717	3131
82	Sacramento, Californiabig city	29.2	4848	7.47	3333
83	Allentown, Pennsylvania	28.3	2020	2828	3737
84	Buffalo, New Yorkbig city	27.9	3636	2323	2424
85	Stockton, Californiabig city	27.8	4040	8.38	3535
86	Bakersfield, Californiabig city	27.7	5555	6.36	2222
87	Hartford, Connecticut	26.7	3434	3232	1414
88	Boston, Massachusettsbig city	26.5	5.96	2525	4949
89	Providence, Rhode Island	25.6	1212	3636	2929
89	Riverside, Californiabig city	25.6	2323	1111	4343
91	Fresno, Californiabig city	25.3	3333	7.98	3535
92	San Jose, Californiabig city	22.5	2828	7.78	3232
93	Albany, New York	22.1	3636	2424	6.57
93	Portland, Maine	22.1	1414	2626	2626
95	Worcester, Massachusetts	21.9	1616	2828	2222
96	Honolulu, Hawaiibig city	21.4	8.28	2.63	5353
97	Syracuse, New York	20.6	3232	2525	5.56
98	San Diego, Californiabig city	20.1	1717	3.94	4040
99	Oxnard, California	19.8	1212	9.510	3838
100	New Haven, Connecticut	18.8	1111	3232	1313
101	Rochester, New York	18.7	2727	2323	5.86
102	Bridgeport, Connecticut	16.5	9.39	2929	1212
103	Los Angeles, Californiabig city	15.5	2.42	4.95	3939
104	New York, New Yorkbig city	14.7	0.40	1414	3030
105	San Francisco, Californiabig city	14.4	2.63	4.14	3636
106	Poughkeepsie, New York	10.1	1515	88	7.47

Sources and method

How we got this. The Affordability Score is The Honest Local’s own recipe. Each source ranks every place on its own from 0 to 100 and the score is the average, so a place has to do well on all of them to lead. We don't publish a cost of living number pulled from one source. We blend three groups, each ranked on its own against every other place that has it, then averaged. Housing is the typical rent over a year and the typical home value, each as a share of the median household income there. Everyday costs are the federal price parity for goods, the best free read on groceries and basics at the metro level, plus the price of gas and of household electricity. Taxes are the combined state and local sales tax, the top state income tax rate on wages (Washington taxes only capital gains, so it reads zero) and the effective property tax rate. Each of those eight figures ranks every place on its own from 0 to 100, with a lower cost or tax always scoring higher. A group's score is the average of the figures it has, and the final score is the average of the three groups. A place missing a whole group is scored on the rest, never handed a fake zero. Rank 1 is the most affordable. Cities and states rank as two separate lists, never against each other. It refreshes monthly, with the yearly figures (income, price parities, tax rates) updated as each agency publishes.

Rankings by The Honest Local from public data, one page per list, refreshed on each source’s own cycle. Places with no reading are left out rather than estimated. Every value on this page carries its source in the page’s structured data.

Photos Shutterstock · More Than Just Parks.