Just went down a rabbit hole looking at cheap places to live in USA and found some genuinely interesting patterns. So apparently if you want to find affordable cities that aren't sketchy, Ohio is basically dominating right now - like 7 of the top 15 cheapest and safest spots are there. That's wild.

New Philadelphia tops the list with annual living costs around 35k and super low violent crime rates. Then you've got New Ulm in Minnesota which seems like a solid pick too - only 14k people but the numbers look really clean. San Elizario, Texas is another one that caught my eye, especially if you're looking for the lowest violent crime rate.

What's interesting is how these cheap places to live in usa aren't the stereotypical small towns everyone thinks of. Columbus, Indiana has over 50k people and still manages to stay affordable. Edwardsville, Illinois rounds out the top 15 with the highest livability score at 90.

The data shows monthly mortgage costs ranging from like 989 bucks in San Elizario to around 1800+ in the pricier ones on the list. Property crime rates vary way more than violent crime, which is something to watch. If you're actually considering relocating to find cheaper living without sacrificing safety, this list seems legit - based on FBI crime stats and census data from early 2025.

Anyone actually looked at moving to any of these towns? Curious if the reality matches up with the numbers.