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Where should I live?

Start from the one thing your family cares about most, not someone else's top-ten list. Pick a priority for a sourced shortlist, or take the quiz to rank every city on your top three.

By Sol Lakein. Updated October 2026.

Take the where should I live quiz

If the monthly bill matters most

Lowest median listed home among the popular cities we cover.
  1. Pittsburgh skyline and a yellow bridge, Pittsburgh, PA
    1    Pittsburgh, PA$245,000, about $1,346/mo
  2. Palm-lined 2nd Street at Ridge Road, McAllen, McAllen, TXAnthony Acosta / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
    2McAllen, TX$258,750, about $1,422/mo
  3. Bridge over the river at Riverfront Park in Columbia, Columbia, SC
    3    Columbia, SC$299,763, about $1,647/mo

If you want more space for the money

Lowest price per square foot. The same budget buys the most house.
  1. Bridge over the river at Riverfront Park in Columbia, Columbia, SC
    1    Columbia, SC$155 per sq ft
  2. Palm-lined 2nd Street at Ridge Road, McAllen, McAllen, TXAnthony Acosta / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
    2McAllen, TX$159 per sq ft
  3. Downtown Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
    3    Indianapolis, IN$165 per sq ft

If you are done with real winters

Warmest January lows (NOAA 1991-2020 normals).
  1. Fort Myers Beach marina and waterfront condos, Fort Myers, FL
    1    Fort Myers, FL54.3°F January low
  2. Downtown Tampa and the Hillsborough River, Tampa, FL
    2    Tampa, FL52.8°F January low
  3. Palm-lined 2nd Street at Ridge Road, McAllen, McAllen, TXAnthony Acosta / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
    3McAllen, TX52.7°F January low

If you will fly back to New York often

Nonstops to all three New York airports.
  1. Pittsburgh skyline and a yellow bridge, Pittsburgh, PA
    1    Pittsburgh, PANonstop from PIT to JFK, LaGuardia and Newark
  2. Downtown Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
    2    Indianapolis, INNonstop from IND to JFK, LaGuardia and Newark
  3. Houston skyline on a sunny day with green trees, Houston, TX
    3    Houston, TXNonstop from IAH to JFK, LaGuardia and Newark

If you want to go where others are going

Most net move-ins from other US metros, July 2024 to July 2025 (Census).
  1. Charlotte skyline from the west side, Charlotte, NC
    1    Charlotte, NC+24,404 net move-ins
  2. Raleigh skyline from the Boylan Bridge, Raleigh, NC
    2    Raleigh, NC+19,974 net move-ins
  3. Austin skyline at sunrise, Austin, TX
    3    Austin, TX+19,860 net move-ins

Five questions to settle first

  1. 1Does your income move with you?A remote job opens every city on the list, and the towns that pay you to move. A local job narrows it to job markets.
  2. 2What monthly housing cost works?Use the monthly payment on each city page, not the sticker price.
  3. 3How often will you travel back?Nonstop flights matter more than miles.
  4. 4What weather can you live with in January and in July?Every city page has both.
  5. 5Buy or rent first?Renting for a year lets you learn the neighborhoods before you commit.

Ways to browse

Questions people ask

How do I decide where to live?

Pick the one or two things that matter most to your household, such as monthly housing cost, space, winters or trips home, and shortlist on those first. Then check each shortlisted city's full page for the trade-offs.

Is there a where should I live quiz?

Yes. Our free quiz asks where you live now, who is moving, your top three priorities, your budget and whether you work remotely, then ranks every city we cover. No account needed.

Where is the cheapest place to live?

See our ranking of the cheapest places to live in the US, which compares metro areas on BEA price levels, and the cheapest states to live in.

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.

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