“Which city should I move to?” This is a question people are increasingly asking themselves as the challenge of finding affordable living in coastal and sun belt cities continues to spiral out of reach. Now, we’re all for fighting the good fight to get more housing built in the places where people want to live…but for some people, you just can’t wait for solutions. Today’s video is here to help!
There’s a staggering difference in cost of living between the sought-after cities of California (and even skyrocketing cities like Austin and Nashville), and established, legacy cities in other parts of the US. So this video tackles the question of not only what are the most affordable places to live in the US, but where good prices intersect with things city-lovers care about: public amenities, culture, sports, walkability, bike-ability, and transit service.
This is CItyNerd’s guide to the ten most underrated cities to move to in the US. Your results may vary, so let me know what you think I overrated or underrated down in the comments!
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Patreon – a new way to support continuing CityNerd output! Thanks to all who have signed up so far!
https://www.patreon.com/CityNerd
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Twitter: @nerd4cities
Instagram: @nerd4cities
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Other CityNerd Videos referenced:
– Pandemic Transit: https://youtu.be/cmKiBcyodXk
– Urbanist Ballparks: https://youtu.be/aXQx1_Zi1BA
– Public Markets/Mercados: https://youtu.be/l10sV15O2a4
– Freeway-Heavy Downtowns: https://youtu.be/WYsJx1urS3Y
– North American Airport/Rail Connections: https://youtu.be/EYQdA2-eJ6g
– Regional Rail in North America: https://youtu.be/0fVmQR1GONk
– The Exclusive Bus Lane and the Port Authority Bus Terminal: https://youtu.be/SEme-kqbJFw
– Transit to NFL Stadiums: https://youtu.be/iclUbbnWzog
– Cities for Bus Rapid Transit: https://youtu.be/YH0XdrD7Gnw
– Cities for Ferries: https://youtu.be/PUaNGCY6JZo
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Resources:
– https://www.zillow.com/research/zhvi-user-guide/
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efficient-market_hypothesis
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_statistical_area
– https://www.vox.com/22554651/india-walton-buffalo-socialist-mayor-progressive-movement
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Image Credits:
– Generic stonks graphic Video by Tomislav Jakupec from Pixabay
– Equations Video by Derpy CG from Pixabay
– Cheesecake Factory By Anthony92931 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23323387
– LA weather Video by William Sevilla from Pixabay
– St Paul snow Image by David Mark from Pixabay
– Palm Springs weather Video by VReel.co Stock Drone Video Platform from Pixabay
– Ron Tonkin Field By Ryan Harvey – Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38604495
– Pittsburgh Light Rail By Dllu – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44000595
– Chicago loop Image by David Mark from Pixabay
– Downtown LA traffic Image by Maxx Girr from Pixabay
– Philadelphia Skyline for thumbnail Image by Pierre Blaché from Pixabay
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Music:
CityNerd background: Caipirinha in Hawaii by Carmen María and Edu Espinal (YouTube music library)
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Contact: nerd4cities@gmail.com
49 Comments
This is one where, going into it, I had strong opinions about cities I though would show up when I did the "analysis." Most of them did, but two didn't, and I'm going to explain why.
1. Baltimore. The Zillow Home Value Index for the Baltimore MSA is $366,129, which I thought was surprisingly high. It's still a good value, but just not as good a value (i.e. differential between what I think it's worth and what the going price is) as the ten that made this list.
2. Cincinnati. The ZHVI is pretty low ($250,986), but the transit supply (metro area per capita) is significantly worse than any of the ten cities that made this list. It's like half of what Cleveland is — and they're in the same state!
You really put a lot of thought and work into this video. I liked it very much. I live in Florida now, but the cost is really not good for me. I am one of those people for whom weather is a deal breaker and, yes, I am seriously thinking about moving to Mexico.
Thanks!
You lost me at “racially coded”. Crime matters.
What about albuquerque new mexico?
Hi there, love the content so thank you. Most of your videos ranking cities have a population cutoff of around 250k for consideration, which is fair because you talk about cities, but have you ever made/considered a video about town/small cities in the US? Particularly for those of us who have lived in big cities for most of our lives and are ready for a calmer quieter lifestyle that retains the walkability we love in cities, but maybe need just a handful of restaurants and not thousands. Thinking places like Northampton, MA. Thanks!
The best part is at 4:04 when he says that he included "factors for cultural amenities" and showed a picture of a Cheesecake Factory. I tried to think of something less cultural than Cheesecake Factory, but couldn't.
Love the shots of Queens! Too many thought-pieces point to NYC's outrageous housing/rent prices, but people have a hard time thinking outside of Manhattan.
I live in the West Loop neighborhood of Chicago, and I absolutely love this city. It's very underrated by most people.
i used to live in milwaukee and although it had many problems, i was able to get around pretty well without a car for 6 years. I would take the amtrak to visit friends in chicago a lot and the bus was very practical getting to the east side where most of the bars/restaurants are. The app worked well, fare was cheap, and the drivers were very nice for the most part. Live in an unwalkable city now and I miss being able to stroll through juneau town, bayview, and upper east side. Saved a fuckk ton of money taking the bus to the bars and back while my prep friends shelled out 25 for an uber each time for a 5 minute drive.
I think an underrated city, in a warm climate, is Tucson. Wouldn't expect it to make this list simply due to lack of large transit system. But I lived there over the summer as a travel nurse and it definitely has areas that are highly walkable. It scores decently with bike-ability too, especially since you can do it year-round. Pretty cool city all-around that doesn't feel like never-ending suburbia like the Phoenix area.
I love both Philly and Chicago! Two great cities
"Crime isn't relevant" sounds very privileged
St. Louis will eventually be rebuilt. The old buildings are not up to the earthquake risk.
Philly is truly amazing. One of the most underrated cities in America
You forgot to mention that in the twin cities everything closes before 9 and that Thai spot didn't deliver an hour after you ordered, and the refund still hasn't come in
I wonder why there is such a strong correlation between snotty weather and better transit
Fantastic video! I'd love to see a version tweaked for renters instead of home owners. Nia Rountree's comment made me laugh – I'm a Texan living in Austin/Houston who would love to move to Chicago. I hate the lack of transpo options and don't think people understand the heat's already unbearable most of the year & will just get worse. If not for climate change, I'd pick NOLA in a heartbeat.
The second I saw u I thought this guy's definitely covering for the fact that he's a crime boss haha!! Thanks for clarifying
number 1 is new york – closes video
Could you do most affordable or most walkable in California?
What people are paying for in Boise is the outdoor access. That’s what people do (at least how I understand it) out there. I recently moved from the West to a more conventional urban city and the lack of outdoor opportunities is stifling
This guy said that high crime neighborhoods are some of the best. You know that even he doesn’t believe this.😂😂😂
Philadelphia is way cheaper than Boston because Boston has higher incomes and far less poverty. Poverty rates in Philadelphia are some of the highest in the country. Boston also has far less violent crime than Philadelphia. It's one of the safest cities in the US. It's just more functional. Boston just has it's shit together. Massachusetts in general is a highly developed and highly functional state.
"Racially coded in a way that's pretty unsavory", it's "telling" of "reality" is what it is. Urban crime rates are directly correlated to racial demographics, and you're a mealy-mouthed dweeb.
Chicago is adding a rail line going down to Indiana suburbs.
Hi, newcomer to your videos by finding them on Nebula. Have enjoyed the deadpan humor and your huge amount of research and common sense. One thing that I wonder about is there an index on internet access and affordability? I mean who can live without an fast, affordable internet provider?? Thanks for the insight into some cities I would not have considered moving to otherwise.
I did a 4 day vacay in Chicago and LOVED it. The museums are amazing and loved the boat tours.
bro is allergic to west coast
They are affordable walkable cities,as long you are not killed by cold or crime🤣🤣
Geez you took too long explaining your method. You lost me
City nerd from the hood 😅😂
Thanks!
How did it take so long for YouTube to recommend this channel??!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Cincinnati flys under the radar again. Stay hush about it cause it's cool as shit here and affordable.
MULTIPLE FUNICULARS??? Man ever since some of my favorite travel destinations got rid of theirs in favor of gondolas I've been sad about it… maybe it's time to start thinking about moving to Pittsburgh xD
I’m not sure affordability was considered
To chime in on “crime” and Saint Louis, there is crime anywhere and everywhere, that said it’s about how you address it and right now over the past 20+ years the state has eroded the tools police’s and prosecutors can use.
At first you’re thinking wait a minute, MO is a red state. Yes and that’s part of the issue. It’s not conservatives vs liberals it’s the desire to just have power. In 2013 the city of Saint Louis finally got local control of its police force. Now in 2023 the state wants to take it back citing that the “crime rate” as a reason. Mind you they ignore the fact that the state legislature has stripped police officers of there ability to do many things like checking a guns serial number or reaching out to the feds about a crime that involved a gun, while making it much easier to buy a gun at the same time.
Longer story short as much as it’s a Republican legislature who’s “pro cop” and “pro gun” they have made it very hard for any department, including Saint Louis City, to enforce laws let alone prosecute crimes where guns are use. Who knows this? Organized groups…
Osaka
I’ve been in St Louis for 23 years and it is vastly underrated. Great cultural amenities. Affordable housing is becoming a problem, but there are still SAFE and affordable neighborhoods both in St Louis city proper and the surrounding “suburbs” that border the city.
Cleveland should NOT be on this list! It’s terrible here! First of all, the weather is terribly unpredictable – you never know how to dress. I saw it snow ❄️ 5 FEET of snow overnight in 1993. In the summers it is very hot and humid. And there is NOTHING to do here, nothing at all. Don’t come to Cleveland – we have no more room!!
I don't understand your choices — Chicago, New York, Philadelphia. Did you really do any research at all? My god, these places are terrible to live i!
Milwaukee has several projects going on that could make it even better, first tearing down the i794 and brewers 790 interstate and replacing them with street level boulevards are being proposed and hopefully the Hop expansions down to the deer district could expand tram access to lots of people
Was waiting to hear my home city on the list….did not disappoint 😀
St. Louis is only the homicide rate capital of the US due to a quirk of municipal boundaries. Only 300k of the 2.5 million people in the metro area live in the city of St Louis. And in the city lots of murders are contained in bad neighborhoods in North St. Louis you wouldn't be going to anyway. If you account for the metro area's crime rate it doesn't even crack the top ten. The metro area with the highest crime rate is Memphis.
As someone from the Pittsburgh area, we are definitely undervalued and I agree with us being on here, but if public transit is a high portion of the score, I'm surprised that didn't hurt us more. Our subway system only goes south, our buses are terrible depending on where you want to go, and there are enough non-city areas in the county that it's hard to get super pro-public-transit people into office in roles where they have a big influence on expanding it. There's also this weird fanaticism here about it having to pay for itself, rather than being a public service. Overall, fantastic city, but tragic public transit, and this is coming from someone who has been to a lot of other northeast cities.
Thanks for defending St. Louis against the crime stigma. So many people are surprised I live there and I just have to roll my eyes when they bring up crime. You're totally right that crime is heavily localized to certain areas, and you are right that that too often people use the excuse of high crime (true or not) to justify why the don't want to live in a majority minority area. I've lived in St. Louis for 6 years and have never had a crime problem.
I already knew my city was gonna be number #1, some folks give it a chance and they come to find that Chicago is truly a hidden gem at plain sight! The festivals, food, parks, the L giving you a tour of the city lights at night, the people, it’s home💕
EVERY city is unlivable to me.