America’s Best Place To Live Is Shockingly Affordable—and Offers a Few Fun Surprises for Free

With home prices still skyrocketing (currently hovering at a national median of $450,000), everyone’s wondering whether there’s any halfway decent place where they can live that won’t break the bank—and a new report reveals some surprising areas to consider.

According to Livability’s annual list of the Top 100 Best Places to Live in the U.S. right now, the top spot is a bit of a shocker: Madison, WI.

The researchers at Livability came up with their rankings by sizing up 2,300 small and midsized cities (defined by populations of 500,000 or less), comparing 50 factors across eight different categories, including economics, housing, transportation, infrastructure, education, and health care.

The results celebrate “the amazing small and midsized communities across the U.S.—the ones who really shine when it comes to offering affordability alongside amenities and opportunity,” according to Livability’s editor, Amanda Ellis.

Why Madison was ranked the best place to live

While Madison might not immediately come to mind as an ideal place to settle down, this choice makes more sense when you consider how Americans prioritize affordability now more than ever.

“As remote work trends continue and affordability becomes more elusive amidst high inflation, people are thinking about where their money goes the farthest,” Ellis explains.

In Madison, the median home price hovers at $416,000, well below the national median. Plus, this city boasts a healthy roster of cultural events residents can attend for free—including a zoo, rooftop concerts, botanical gardens, and much more.

Meanwhile, outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails, plus two lakes surrounding the city perfect for canoeing and other water sports. It’s all gratis, provided you have the equipment!

In addition to Madison, the entire Midwest region was awarded with eight cities in the top 10.

One huge downside to these ‘livable’ cities

Yet some experts point to one huge oversight in these rankings: the weather.

“These Midwestern states see a lot of snow in the winter, whereas here in the Southeast, people are flocking to escape it,” says Damian Hall, a real estate agent with The Damian Hall Group in Greenville, SC.

Tony Mariotti, a real estate agent and founder of RubyHome in Los Angeles, agrees that snow and ice are important to many.

“If weather were a factor in their algorithm, it would have moved the rankings considerably,” he notes.

Still, if you don’t mind or even enjoy some snowy weather come winter, then these cities could be the bargain home shopping destination you’re looking for.

Here’s a rundown of Livability’s top 10 most livable cities, plus the median home price for that area. (Median listing prices are from Realtor.com® in June, including the metro level and surrounding areas.)