Least and Most Expensive Cities For Living in the U.S.A. - Fort Smith, Arkansas tops list of Cheapest Cities in America to live!

By Cameron Huddleston, Kiplinger.com
Jul 30, 2010

It’s hard to beat the low cost of living in the South. Seven of the ten least expensive cities on our list are in Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee.

We compiled our rankings based on the ACCRA Cost of Living Index produced by the Council for Community and Economic Research.

The Index measures relative price levels for housing, utilities, transportation, grocery items, health care and miscellaneous goods and services (it does not include taxes). A composite score of 100 reflects the national average. So scores lower than 100 reflect a lower-than average cost of living, and scores higher than 100 reflect a higher-than average cost of living. Median household income and average home prices are from the Toronto-based Martin Prosperity Institute. We sampled all U.S. cities with metropolitan area populations of at least 75,000.

1. Fort Smith, Ark.

Cost of Living Index: 85.2
Metro Population: 288,595
Median Household Income: $35,726
Average Home Price: $223,885

Arkansas is a low-cost, low-tax state, and its second largest city, Fort Smith, is no exception. Housing, grocery and transportation costs here are well below the national average. And compared with the most-expensive city on our list, New York, everything in Fort Smith is a bargain.

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