Yahoo Finance 25 Safest and Cheapest Cities To Live in the South
If safety and affordability are your top priorities, you can find quite a few cities that fit the bill in the South.
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To find the cheapest and safest cities to live in that region, GOBankingRates analyzed the 10 most populated cities in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Lousiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia. For each city, GOBankingRates calculated the total living costs, including groceries, healthcare, utilities, transportation and rent. Safety scores were based on the rates of property crime and violent crime per 1,000 residents. To qualify for the ranking, cities also needed to have a livability score of 75 out of 100 or higher.
Here’s a look at the 25 safest and cheapest places to live in the South.
1. Rogers, Arkansas
Average monthly expenditures: $1,873
Average rent: $1,452
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 3.9
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 21.08
Livability score (out of 100): 88
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2. Cary, North Carolina
Average monthly expenditures: $2,049
Average rent: $1,732
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.8
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 11.01
Livability score (out of 100): 90
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3. Covington, Kentucky
Average monthly expenditures: $1,916
Average rent: $1,426
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 2.71
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 17.41
Livability score (out of 100): 84
4. Bentonville, Arkansas
Average monthly expenditures: $1,894
Average rent: $1,646
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 3.25
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 11.85
Livability score (out of 100): 83
5. Georgetown, Kentucky
Average monthly expenditures: $1,906
Average rent: $1,440
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 1.11
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 13.77
Livability score (out of 100): 76
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6. Huntsville, Alabama
Average monthly expenditures: $2,000
Average rent: $1,441
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 2.95
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 15.05
Livability score (out of 100): 81
7. Hoover, Alabama
Average monthly expenditures: $2,018
Average rent: $1,431
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 0.97
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 15.61
Livability score (out of 100): 79
8. Concord, North Carolina
Average monthly expenditures: $2,021
Average rent: $1,790
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 1.06
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 9.82
Livability score (out of 100): 80
9. Plano, Texas
Average monthly expenditures: $2,050
Average rent: $1,795
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 1.58
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 18.98
Livability score (out of 100): 84
10. Edmond, Oklahoma
Average monthly expenditures: $2,014
Average rent: $1,621
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 1.61
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 16.7
Livability score (out of 100): 78
11. Auburn, Alabama
Average monthly expenditures: $2,045
Average rent: $1,599
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 1.32
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 11.71
Livability score (out of 100): 75
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12. Stillwater, Oklahoma
Average monthly expenditures: $2,100
Average rent: $1,410
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 3.28
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 21.54
Livability score (out of 100): 81
13. Raleigh, North Carolina
Average monthly expenditures: $2,041
Average rent: $1,664
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 4.98
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 23.7
Livability score (out of 100): 84
14. Savannah, Georgia
Average monthly expenditures: $1,990
Average rent: $1,775
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 3.89
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 18.23
Livability score (out of 100): 79
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15. Roswell, Georgia
Average monthly expenditures: $2,047
Average rent: $1,895
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 2.01
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 12.26
Livability score (out of 100): 78
16. Kenner, Louisiana
Average monthly expenditures: $1,926
Average rent: $1,772
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 4
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 24.39
Livability score (out of 100): 76
Pictured: New Orleans
17. Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Average monthly expenditures: $2,011
Average rent: $1,795
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 5.1
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 21.43
Livability score (out of 100): 76
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18. Charleston, South Carolina
Average monthly expenditures: $1,982
Average rent: $2,119
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 3.77
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 19.3
Livability score (out of 100): 76
19. Franklin, Tennessee
Average monthly expenditures: $2,117
Average rent: $2,089
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 1.96
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 10.35
Livability score (out of 100): 75
20. Tampa, Florida
Average monthly expenditures: $2,048
Average rent: $2,146
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 4.92
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 19.37
Livability score (out of 100): 80
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21. Frederick, Maryland
Average monthly expenditures: $2,122
Average rent: $1,997
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 3.88
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 15.71
Livability score (out of 100): 75
22. Hialeah, Florida
Average monthly expenditures: $2,057
Average rent: $2,733
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 1.35
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 15.66
Livability score (out of 100): 76
23. Alexandria, Virginia
Average monthly expenditures: $2,355
Average rent: $2,146
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 1.81
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 18.94
Livability score (out of 100): 83
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24. Columbia, Maryland
Average monthly expenditures: $2,320
Average rent: $2,146
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 2.36
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 17.08
Livability score (out of 100): 79
25. Arlington, Virginia
Average monthly expenditures: $2,399
Average rent: $2,480
Violent crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 2.59
Property crime rate (per 1,000 residents): 19.12
Livability score (out of 100): 86
Methodology: To find the safest and cheapest cities to live in the South, GOBankingRates analyzed cities within the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Lousiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia, plus the District of Columbia. The top 10 most populated cities within each state were analyzed for a variety of factors including: (1) grocery cost of living index, (2) healthcare cost of living index, (3) utilities cost of living index, (4) transportation cost of living index and (5) miscellaneous cost of living index, all sourced from Sperlings BestPlaces; (6) average expenditure costs, sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey; (7) December 2023 average rent cost, sourced from Zillow Observed Rental Index; (8) livability index, as sourced from AreaVibes; (9) overall safety index, (10) property crime rate per 1,000 residents and (11) violent crime rate per 1,000 residents, sourced from NeighborhoodScout; and (12) total population, as sourced from the US Census American Consumer Survey. The cost of living indexes were multiplied by the national average expenditure costs to find the average expenditure costs within each city. All cities needed to have all data points to qualify for this study. The livability index and the safety index were averaged for all the cities, and all cities with an average livability under 75 and an average safety index under 12 were removed, showcasing the places with cheaper than average cost of living and safer than average crime rates. The expenditure costs, rent cost, property crime rate, violent crime rate and livability index were scored and sorted to show the safest and cheapest places to live in the South. All data was collected and is up-to-date as of Feb. 1, 2024.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 25 Safest and Cheapest Cities To Live in the South
