Safety and affordability matter most when choosing a place to live. MoneyGeek analyzed cost data from the Census Bureau's one-year American Community Survey and MIT's Living Wage Calculator, focusing on the top cities from our safest small and mid-to-large city studies.
Safest and Most Affordable Cities in the US
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KEY FINDINGS
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Georgia is home to the safest and most affordable small cities in the U.S., with Roswell and Johns Creek ranking No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Roswell stands out with the third-highest, five-year income growth among small cities, while Johns Creek has low mortgage and food costs relative to income, with both costs ranking in the top five.
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Most of the safest and most affordable large cities are in the West. This region has 11 of the 15 most affordable and safest cities, with Westminster, Colorado; Surprise, Arizona; and Thornton, Colorado, taking the top three spots.
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California cities have some of the lowest food costs relative to income in both small and larger cities. In small cities like San Ramon and Pleasanton, the ratio of monthly food costs to income falls below 8%. Larger cities like Fremont and Santa Clara also have low food cost ratios, with less than 9% of monthly income spent on food.
15 Best Small Cities for Safety and Affordability
Southern cities dominate the list of the most affordable and safest cities for populations below 100,000, taking nine of the top 15 spots. Roswell, Georgia, ranked No. 1 with a 57% increase in income over five years, the third-highest increase of small cities analyzed. It also had the ninth-lowest monthly food costs at an average of 9% of monthly income.
Johns Creek, Georgia, second in our overall rankings, had the third-lowest mortgage cost proportion of household income at 20% and the fourth-lowest monthly food costs proportion at 8%. Other Southern cities in the top 15 include Edmond, Oklahoma; Mansfield, Texas; and North Port, Florida, all with five-year income increases over 34%.
15 Most Affordable and Safe Small Cities
City | Final Score | 5-Year Income
% Change | Monthly Mortgage
as a % of
Income | Monthly Food
Costs as a
% of Income | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Roswell, GA | 100 | 57.2% | 22.2% | 8.9% |
2. | Johns Creek, GA | 99 | 35.0% | 20.5% | 7.8% |
3. | Edmond, OK | 89 | 47.9% | 22.7% | 11.2% |
4. | Mansfield, TX | 88 | 34.7% | 24.2% | 9.7% |
5. | San Mateo, CA | 87 | 47.4% | 28.9% | 8.7% |
6. | Milpitas, CA | 85 | 32.7% | 26.1% | 8.1% |
7. | North Port, FL | 80 | 46.4% | 21.2% | 14.7% |
8. | O'Fallon, MO | 77 | 22.6% | 19.1% | 11.2% |
9. | Alpharetta, GA | 77 | 20.1% | 22.8% | 8.9% |
10. | Missouri City, TX | 77 | 32.9% | 24.3% | 11.4% |
11. | Rogers, AR | 76 | 35.1% | 21.9% | 14.1% |
12. | Farmington Hills, MI | 75 | 26.6% | 22.1% | 11.3% |
13. | Hoover, AL | 74 | 22.8% | 22.2% | 11.2% |
14. | Layton, UT | 74 | 31.2% | 21.3% | 13.8% |
15. | St. Charles, MO | 74 | 35.0% | 23.1% | 13.8% |
15 Best Mid-to-Large Cities for Safety and Affordability
Among the safest cities with populations over 100,000, the Western U.S. is home to 11 of the 15 most affordable. Westminster, Colorado, is the most affordable and safest large city, with a five-year income change of 58%, the second highest in our study. Following closely are Surprise, Arizona; Thornton, Colorado; and Arvada, Colorado, each with over 35% income growth and mortgage costs below 26% of household income.
The Midwest also has affordable, safe cities, with Joliet, Illinois; Carmel, Indiana; Overland Park, Kansas; and Fishers, Indiana making the top 15. These cities offer low monthly costs, with mortgage cost proportions of household income below 26% and monthly food costs below 14% of monthly income.
15 Most Affordable and Safe Mid-to-Large Cities
City, State | Final Score | 5-Year Income
% Change | Monthly Mortgage
as a % of
Income | Monthly Food
Costs as a
% of Income | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Westminster, CO | 100 | 58.1% | 24.6% | 13.6% |
2. | Surprise, AZ | 98 | 47.1% | 21.0% | 14.2% |
3. | Thornton, CO | 96 | 36.4% | 24.7% | 13.1% |
4. | Arvada, CO | 96 | 34.6% | 25.8% | 12.5% |
5. | Joliet, IL | 90 | 32.3% | 25.1% | 13.6% |
6. | Carmel, IN | 89 | 18.6% | 20.2% | 9.1% |
7. | Bellevue, WA | 88 | 26.9% | 27.6% | 9.0% |
8. | Rio Rancho, NM | 87 | 48.9% | 21.0% | 16.2% |
9. | Centennial, CO | 87 | 19.1% | 22.7% | 10.9% |
10. | Fremont, CA | 86 | 27.6% | 28.7% | 8.5% |
11. | Chandler, AZ | 85 | 28.4% | 22.5% | 14.0% |
12. | Santa Clara, CA | 82 | 37.5% | 34.0% | 8.7% |
13. | Overland Park, KS | 81 | 22.3% | 25.0% | 12.2% |
14. | Fishers, IN | 81 | 10.2% | 18.1% | 9.4% |
15. | West Jordan, UT | 81 | 28.3% | 22.6% | 14.5% |
5 Safest Small and Large Cities With the Lowest Food Costs
California city residents have some of the most affordable monthly food costs in proportion to total monthly income among the safest cities analyzed. Four of the top five small cities with the lowest proportionate monthly food costs are in California: San Ramon, Pleasanton, Palo Alto and Milpitas, each with ratios below 8%. Among larger cities, Fremont and Santa Clara, California, rank in the top five, with monthly food costs below 9% of total monthly income.
Insurance Tips for Homeowners in New Cities
Factor in homeowners insurance costs alongside food and mortgage expenses when moving to a new city. Homeowners can estimate potential insurance costs using a home insurance cost calculator based on their home's location, value and other factors.
Find the best homeowners insurance by assessing your specific needs. Location, home value and personal assets determine the level of coverage you need. Look for a provider that balances cost, coverage and customer service. If budget is a concern, reputable options for cheap homeowners insurance offer substantial protection without straining your finances.
Methodology
You want to live somewhere safe without spending your entire paycheck on housing and food. We combined our 2024 safest cities data with cost-of-living metrics to find cities that deliver both.
We started with the top 100 safest small cities and top 100 safest mid-to-large cities, then ranked them using three equally weighted affordability metrics:
- Five-year percentage change in income measures whether your earning power is growing or stagnant. We calculated the percentage change in median household income from 2017 to 2022 using the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS). Rising incomes mean you're more likely to get ahead financially, not just keep up with costs.
- Monthly mortgage cost as a percentage of household income shows how much of your paycheck goes to housing. We divided the estimated monthly median housing costs for owner-occupied housing units with a mortgage by median household income per city using ACS data. Lower percentages mean more money left over for everything else.
- Monthly food costs as a percentage of household income reveals what you'll spend just to eat. We used MIT's Living Wage Calculator 2022 data to calculate this ratio. Cities with lower food cost percentages let you stretch your budget further.
Each measure received equal weight in our rankings. The Safest City Score from our previous analysis measures safety alone. The Safety and Affordability final score in this analysis combines both factors.
Full Dataset
We analyzed the top 100 safest small cities and 100 safest mid-to-large cities to find their income growth, food costs and mortgage costs. View the data that shaped our final rankings:
About Anja Solum, CEPF
Anja Solum is a certified educator in personal finance and the Data Journalism Manager at MoneyGeek. For over six years, she has produced data analyses and studies for agency and in-house teams across multiple verticals.
Solum holds a bachelor's degree in communication arts from Florida International University. She's passionate about using data to tell compelling, informed stories that empower readers.
sources
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Living Wage Calculator." Accessed February 4, 2025.
- United States Census Bureau. " American Community Survey." Accessed February 4, 2025.