Cost of living: Huntsville one of nation’s ‘most affordable’

HUNTSVILLE – The current price to buy a house or rent an apartment in Huntsville can be startling to longtime residents.

“Greed-flation,’’ a term coined as staples such as groceries and gas remain high while corporations haul in record-breaking profits, is being felt in the Rocket City along with the rest of the country.

However, apparently we’ve got it pretty good.

Huntsville, which in the last three years fell from No. 1 to 2 and now No. 7 in the current U.S. News & World Report’s Best Places to Live rankings, has settled in near the top of another category.

According to the aforementioned magazine, Huntsville is No. 2 among its 2024-25 Best Places when it comes to most affordable https://realestate.usnews.com/…/best-affordable-places. Huntsville, the largest city in Alabama, trailed only Fort Wayne, Ind., on the list. 

U.S. News found that when choosing a new place to live, the cost of living is a major consideration. A survey of more than 3,000 U.S. residents on the importance of various factors in determining where to live reflected rising consumer concerns about housing affordability and increased cost of goods and services. U.S. News weighted its value at 27% – making it one of the key metrics used to calculate the Best Places to Live ranking.

To pinpoint the most affordable places on the list, the magazine looked at the proportion of the median annual household income that goes toward the average cost to own or rent a home, including the typical cost of utilities and taxes, as well as price parity, which compares the cost of goods and services across the country.

Best/Most Affordable Places to Live

1. Fort Wayne, Ind.
2. HUNTSVILLE

   

3. Wichita, Kan.
4. Springfield, Mo.
5. Davenport, Iowa
6. Hickory, N.C.
7. Montgomery 
8. Green Bay, Wis.
9. Little Rock, Ark.
10. Oklahoma City, Okla.
11. Lexington, Ky.
12. LaFayette, La.
13. Omaha, Neb.
14. Brownsville, Texas
15. Lincoln, Neb.
16. Peoria, Ill.
17. Louisville, Ky.
18. South Bend, Ind.
19. Toledo, Ohio
20. Rockford, Ill.
21. Indianapolis
22. McAllen, Texas
23. Kansas City, Mo.
24. Tulsa, Okla.
25. Dayton, Ohio