For many recent college graduates, their salaries don’t quite match their dreams and ambitions. That means that most 20-somethings have to look high and low to find a place to live that is fun, has plentiful employment opportunities, and is relatively affordable. Check out a few of the best cities to live in America if you’re trying to save a buck!
Wichita, Kansas
The largest city in the state of Kansas, Wichita serves as the cultural, economic and educational center of the region. With a median income of only $42,000, residents spend on average a mere 26% of their take-home income on rent. Although Wichita is on the smaller side, with under 500,000 people in the city proper, it has a ton to do and see including several museums, concert venues, conference centers and theaters. And if you need to get out fast, Kansas’s largest airport is just outside of town.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Many Americans might think that Cincinnati’s nickname, the “Paris of America”, is tongue-in-cheek, but that means they’ve probably never been there! Formerly the largest city in the American midwest, Cincinnati boasts beautiful buildings like the Music Hall and the Cincinnatian Hotel, world-class educational facilities, and a whopping two major professional sports franchises. Oh, and did we mention that it’s cheap? Only spending about $750 per month on a rental apartment overlooking the Ohio river sounds pretty good to us.
Salt Lake City, Utah
Once you see this city’s gleaming buildings in the shadows of the snow-white peaks of the Rocky Mountains, you might never leave. As both the capital of Utah and the state’s largest city, Salt Lake City is the rare affordable regional hegemon. Skiers and snowboarders flock to the city’s peaks and hikers to the shores of the region’s many lakes, but SLC also has a lot to offer urbanites. The gastronomy scene in the city has moved ahead leaps and bounds in the last decade, and it is now recognized as a must-visit for “foodies” from coast to coast. Not paying an arm and a leg will help too: most residents pay under 25% of their salaries toward living expenses.
It might seem like there are no affordable places to live in the U.S., but we know better. Looking inward from the coasts can stretch the value of your dollar and give you a quality of life that you’ve never even dreamed of. Happy trails!