According to a recent discussion on NPR, one of the primary frustrations that drove Americans to the polls in the 2024 presidential election was dissatisfaction with inflation and increases in cost of living — with a sense among consumers that the prices of groceries, rent, mortgages, insurance and more have all spiked to untenable levels.
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Additionally, cost of living in America is especially high in the cities that dot both the East and West coastlines, making life for some simply unaffordable.
Recently, GOBankingRates amassed a large amount of data concerning over 1,000 cities on the East Coast, measuring such factors as cost of living, mortgage rates, median household incomes and overall livability — all in an effort to locate the most affordable cities in the region.
Do you hope to retire on the East Coast or perhaps simply raise a family there? Want a career that keeps you near the Atlantic? Check out the 50 cheapest cities on America’s right coast.
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Pennsylvania has the two most affordable cities on the list.
Pennsylvania and Georgia are tied for the most cities in the top 50, with 11 each.
The biggest cities on the list are Columbus, Georgia (204,383), and Erie, Pennsylvania (94,156).
The cities with the highest livability scores are Meadville, Pennsylvania; Erie, Pennsylvania, and Huntington, West Virginia.
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Annual cost of living: $25,797
Livability score: 67
Median household income: $44,595
Average monthly mortgage: $342
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Annual cost of living: $29,570
Livability score: 78
Median household income: $34,784
Average monthly mortgage: $542
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Annual cost of living: $29,823
Livability score: 68
Median household income: $44,878
Average monthly mortgage: $641
Annual cost of living: $29,977
Livability score: 51
Median household income: $39,527
Average monthly mortgage: $627
Annual cost of living: $30,214
Livability score: 53
Median household income: $31,564
Average monthly mortgage: $690
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Annual cost of living: $30,547
Livability score: 70
Median household income: $31,854
Average monthly mortgage: $487
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Annual cost of living: $30,672
Livability score: 72
Median household income: $49,003
Average monthly mortgage: $678
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Annual cost of living: $30,678
Livability score: 71
Median household income: $48,810
Average monthly mortgage: $607
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Annual cost of living: $30,745
Livability score: 79
Median household income: $41,478
Average monthly mortgage: $756
Annual cost of living: $30,759
Livability score: 56
Median household income: $53,981
Average monthly mortgage: $609
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Annual cost of living: $30,954
Livability score: 78
Median household income: $50,171
Average monthly mortgage: $718
Annual cost of living: $30,988
Livability score: 57
Median household income: $37,398
Average monthly mortgage: $686
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