Best places to live, by state
Ranked on home prices, space, winters and trips home. Every number sourced, every city's trade-off included.
By Sol Lakein, founder of Slower Sundays. Updated November 2026.
- 25States rankedSee every state below
- 597Cities and towns rankedScored against others in their state
- $181,500Lowest-priced #1Muncie, median listed home (Realtor.com, September 2026)
Same score in every stateFull method
- 40%Home prices
- 20%Space for the money
- 20%Milder winters
- 10%Nonstop to New York
- 10%Net move-ins
Pick a state
- Best places to live in Florida8 cities ranked
- 1#1: Lakeland$329,00084
- 2Fort Myers$379,90073
- 3Melbourne$369,77563
- Best places to live in Texas7 cities ranked
- 1#1: McAllen$258,75075
- 2San Antonio$320,37467
- 3Houston$353,99563
- Best places to live in Indiana6 cities ranked
- 1#1: Muncie$181,50078
- 2Terre Haute$189,62574
- 3Evansville$259,22555
- Best places to live in North Carolina6 cities ranked
- 1#1: Greensboro$327,00074
- 2Charlotte$424,95066
- 3Wilmington$471,48964
- Best places to live in South Carolina5 cities ranked
- 1#1: Columbia$299,76388
- 2Spartanburg$304,95077
- 3Myrtle Beach$315,00058
- Best places to live in Michigan3 cities ranked
- 1#1: Detroit$274,95074
- 2Jackson$254,95060
- 3Southwest Michigan$409,45010
- Best places to live in Tennessee3 cities ranked
- 1#1: Chattanooga$395,00090
- 2Knoxville$447,00045
- 3Nashville$533,99521
Median listed home: Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026. Green number: score out of 100 within the state.
More ways to compare
Best places to live in every state we rank
Pick a state. States with our destination cities rank those cities; the rest rank every city and town of 20,000+ from Census data.
South
West
Find the cities that fit your family
Answer a few quick questions and get your shortlist, ranked on what you care about. Free, no account.