10 Cheapest Places to Live in the US

4) McAllen, Texas

McAllen, Texas has made the Council for Community and Economic Research’s list several times as one of the cheapest places to live in the U.S. It is located on the Rio Grande River across from Reynosa, Mexico. Commerce across the border is a major industry. It has a 16.2 percent cheaper cost of living than the national average with an average home cost of $178,000. A two-bedroom apartment rents for an average of just over $700. The median income is $33,641 for a household. Unfortunately, the metro area does have a high poverty rate. Health is also a problem as McAllen was found to be the most obese metro area in the nation in 2012. The population of the metro area is 774,769. McAllen’s property tax rates rank among the lowest in the Rio Grande, averaging $500 annually.