In this article we will take a look at the 15 affordable liberal cities in America. You can skip our detailed analysis of the economical US cities’ outlook for 2021 and go directly to 5 Affordable Liberal Cities in America.
Liberalism is more than merely the political view, these two opposites on the ideological spectrum share different beliefs in a broad area of lifestyle choices.
When it comes to liberal cities with a low cost of living in 2021 it’s quite a titanic work to do to match these two seemingly opposed categories. As it turns out according to a paper written by political scientists Chris Tausanovitch and Christopher Warshaw, liberal cities collect more taxes per capita than conservative cities, but also spend twice or more compared to the conservative ones.
Politics is nowadays filtered in our lives starting with small children. The internet era and its search algorithms with personalized content are always one step ahead. It is enough to once search some political information, like any other information and you are likely to be invaded with a plethora of information and advertising. It is the time when social studies specialists are increasingly concerned with the confirmation bias effects and furthermore, with its social repercussions, as societies radicalization, social antipathy bloom and the rest of the social turmoil chain.
But it is also known, that as social beings we crave connections based on common beliefs, which help us interact, support, work, and build a better society for all of us and our children. Should you be looking for the most affordable liberal cities in America for a carrier, a relocation with your family, a liberal beach town to get the most of your youth, or the best place to retire as a liberal, you’re in the right place.
Let’s start our investigation with some curious facts in the liberal-conservative balance. According to a Pew Research Center review of a study conducted by MIT and UCLA which scanned the seven largest opinion surveys conducted between 2000 and 2011 reviewing 67 cities with a total population not less than 250.000.
The population seems a good liberalism indicator, as most of the largest cities are as well liberal cities; 46% of consistent liberals stated they’d prefer to live in a city, opposed to only 4% of core conservatives. Though not necessarily all of the largest cities are liberal, most of them, including the ones from conservative states are mostly liberal; this is the case for Atlanta (Georgia), New Orleans (Louisiana), or Austin (Texas). Austins even have a joke saying “Austin is an island surrounded by Texas”.
When it comes to lifestyle, 77% of liberals would opt for smaller houses, but which are closer to amenities – schools, stores, and restaurants and only 21% of respondents would prefer more square footage, but farther away. On the other hand, the latest is a must for 75% of conservatives, which accept amenities several miles away, as long as they can have larger houses set further apart, with only 22% of their counterparts which would sacrifice the footage privilege for amenities within walking distance.
Further than politics, liberalism is a moral philosophy, stating such values as liberty, racial and ethnic diversity, consent of the governed, law equality, social justice, and LGBTQ+ rights. At the other end of the spectrum, conservatives mostly emphasize shared religious faith.
At the end of the day, both agree on some core aspects of life, those related to personal life and their children’s future – good public schools and family proximity are the two core values the ever-disagreeing camps find a common base at. Leisure preferences consist of a common set of shared activities, such as camping, fishing, or hiking, and considerable differences when it comes to the educational part. Proximity to art museums and theaters are of significant importance for almost one in for consistent liberals (73%), with their mostly liberal counterparts sharing the vision in 59% of the cases; while consistent conservative see rate it the same important levels in only 23% of the time, with their mostly conservative counterparts doing slightly better with 31%.
The differences go one to controversial aspects as gun-owning and even interracial marriage.
Who is most interested in being in a likewise environment? Generation-wise, there are also differences in political views, with Baby Boomers and Silents’ on one side and Millennials and Gen Xers on the other. Millennials are now the US’s largest generation, they outpass Baby Boomers and they are looking towards big cities. This does not imply all of them are liberals, but a fair share of them are. Millennials tend to have an increasingly liberal outlook. It’s the increased racial and ethnic diversity of younger generational groups that account for some of these generational differences. This makes sense, aligning with the liberal values, as 40% of Millenials are nonwhite, in comparison to Silents, which are 79% white.
The urban orientation started in the ’90s and continued through the 2000s’. Though not all cities got the same preferences for relocation, this trend is anything but negligible, as it looks like it’s here to stay with the Gen Zs. It forms the supply and demand and is already seen in skyrocketing housing prices and the affordability crises in a growing number of American cities.
Enough statistics, for now, let’s dig into the most liberal cities in America and the best that those bring.
California is the perfect destination for liberals, with 10 liberal and just one conservative city, among the 67 cities studied. If you’re looking for the perfect liberal beach town or the best places for liberals to retire look no further, here are the 5 California liberal cities and their population countdown: Long Beach (466,776), San Diego (1,409,573), Los Angeles (3,966,936), Oakland (425,097), and San Francisco (874,961). Too bad none of these perfect pieces of heaven didn’t make it to our top 15 affordable liberal cities in America; as expected big city life is not exactly cheap.
Another great destination is Florida; bet you already thought of this too, and once again, not exactly the small liberal affordable towns: Tampa (387,916) and Miami (454,279) and we recommend you pass by Jacksonville, no matter how charming it looks, you’ll be in the minority there, as the conservatives seem to have lured it their side. Too bad not all shinny beach towns are liberal, so we once again can’t recommend you Virginia Beach as it’s part of the 3 most conservative cities on the study, along with Oklahoma City, OK (# 2), and Mesa in Arizona as the most conservative city on the list.
For this ranking, we have studied the 67 cities in the Pew Research Center study, chose the 25 most liberal among them, and compared them by the most important cost of living metrics from Numbeo. The top 15 affordable liberal cities in the U.S. ranked according to the single person estimated monthly costs, without rent. For your commodity, we have also listed the cost for a family of four, without rent, as well as other major importance metrics. Without further ado, here we go with the 15 affordable liberal cities in America countdown:
15. Pittsburgh, PA
Population – 302,205
Monthly costs without rent (single) – $1,034.83
Monthly costs without rent (family of 4) – $3667.12
Rent 1 room Center/Outside Center: $1,304.50/$944.11
Rent 3 rooms Center/Outside Center: $2,073.88/$1,502.59
If you’re looking for a liberal city in the purple state of Pennsylvania, look no further than Pittsburgh, the 19th most liberal city in the US and the 15th most affordable on our ranking. The average monthly salary in the Steel City is 3,590.89 $, after-tax and basic utilities of 191.99 $ for an 85 square meters apartment. It is very affordable, however, if you still end up having trouble making ends meet, you can look into lending options like title loans, personal loans, HELOCs or short term financing.
Pixabay/Public domain
14. Newark, NJ
Population – 281,054
Monthly costs without rent (single): $1,034.11
Monthly costs without rent (family of 4): $3,458.05
Rent 1bed room Center/Outside Center: $1,785.00/$1,690.00
Rent 3 bedrooms Center/Outside Center: $2,051.38/$1,753.38
Newark – the cultural center of New Jersey will conquer you with the abundance of arts and entertainment options. In the heart of the Garden State, the average net salary is 2,444.00 $, with average random utilities of 326.25 $.
13. Portland, OR
Population – 645,291
Monthly costs without rent (single): $1033.62
Monthly costs without rent (family of 4): $3669.92
Rent 1bed room Center/Outside Center: $1,548.75 /$1,260.22
Rent 3 bedrooms Center/Outside Center: $2,724.11 /$1,913.70
Portland is the perfect place for both singles and families. It offers an eco-friendly environment, plenty of outdoor activities, and over 100 college and university campuses.
Josemaria Toscano/Shutterstock.com
12. Atlanta, GA
Population – 488,800
Monthly costs without rent (single): $1,025.53
Monthly costs without rent (family of 4): $3663.87
Rent 1 bedroom Center/Outside Center: $1,550.38 /$1,130.65
Rent 3 bedrooms Center/Outside Center: $2,867.37 /$2,034.36
The city in a Forest has 47.9 percent covered by trees. The birthplace of civil rights movements will conquer you with its diverse musical heritage and its truly rich nightlife.
11. Philadelphia, PA
Population – 1,579,075
Monthly costs without rent (single): $1,021.13
Monthly costs without rent (family of 4): $3,669.83
Rent 1 bedroom Center/Outside Center: $1,672.84 /$1,114.33
Rent 3 bedrooms Center/Outside Center: $2,813.62 /$1,671.48
The City of Brotherly Love, settled about 8000BC has an ancient history; it is home to Liberty Bell, Independence Hall. In Philadelphia, you should expect an average salary of 3,323.04 $ and average utilities of 150.32 $ for an 85 m2 apartment.
mandritoiu/Shutterstock.com
10. Cleveland, OH
Population – 385,282
Monthly costs without rent (single): $1,018.71
Monthly costs without rent (family of 4): $3,593.73
Rent 1 bedroom Center/Outside Center: $1,341.35 $/$966.18
Rent 3 bedrooms Center/Outside Center: $2,353.12 $/$1,340.00
Cleveland, also known as “The Forest City” is your refugee island in a mostly Republican governed state. The average monthly salary to expect in Cleveland is 2,824.19 $, while average utilities go to 203.83 $.
Pixabay/Public Domain
9. Chicago, IL
Population – 2,709,534
Monthly costs without rent (single): $1,017.75
Monthly costs without rent (family of 4): $3,665.04
Rent 1 bedroom Center/Outside Center: $1,909.47/$1,206.02
Rent 3 bedrooms Center/Outside Center: $3,638.10/$2,140.33
Why is Chicago a perfect place to stay? Chicago-style hot dogs and pizza – aren’t these enough? 37 mobile bridges, jazz music, unique architecture, and the friendly liberal environment, make this megapolis a liberal heaven.
Pixabay/ Public Domain
8. New Orleans, LA
Population – 390,845
Monthly costs without rent (single): $1,000.16
Monthly costs without rent (family of 4): $3,521.69
Rent 1 bedroom Center/Outside Center: $1,455.51/$1,051.57
Rent 3 bedrooms Center/Outside Center: $2,368.75/$1,541.76
New Orleans is your go-to liberal destination in a mostly red state. New Orleans will surprise you with its diverse cultural life. Financial-wise, New Orleans has an average monthly salary of 2,822.12 $.
Pixabay / Public Domain
7. Baltimore, MD
Population – 609,032
Monthly costs without rent (single): $968.65
Monthly costs without rent (family of 4): $3,464.61
Rent 1 bedroom Center/Outside Center: $1,630.75 $/$1,050.89
Rent 3 bedrooms Center/Outside Center: $2,241.67 $/$1,900.00
Maryland is the perfect destination for a core liberal, as its liberal views have been consistent lately. Financial-wise it’s also a nice catch, the average monthly salary here is 3,754.64 $.
6. Denver, CO
Population – 705,576
Monthly costs without rent (single): 967.51$
Monthly costs without rent (family of 4): 3,496.62$
Rent 1 bedroom Center/Outside Center: 1,689.89 $/ 1,356.84 $
Rent 3 bedrooms Center/Outside Center: 2,834.62 $/ 2,270.00 $
Can you imagine over 200 parks on 154.92 sq mi? Denver is quite friendly financially also, you can count on a 4,469.66 $ average monthly net salary.
5. Buffalo, NY
Population – 256,480
Monthly costs without rent (single): $948.48
Monthly costs without rent (family of 4): $3,359.91
Rent 1 bedroom Center/Outside Center: $928.14 $/$792.93
Rent 3 bedrooms Center/Outside Center: $1,587.50 $/$1,155.00
Buffalo is an affordable destination in the state of New York. The average monthly salary is 2,882.37 $, more than twice less than in New York City, where the average salary is considerably higher – 6,138.24 $, but compared to rent rates 3 to 4 times lower (single room apartment in the center of New York 3,088.80 $, three rooms – 6,455.27 $, rent outside the city center – single – 2,002.95 $ and 3,417.24 $for 3 rooms), it’s definitely a worthy destination.
4. Detroit, MI
Population – 670,031
Monthly costs without rent (single): $918.35
Monthly costs without rent (family of 4): $3,233.98
Rent 1 bedroom Center/Outside Center: $1,431.25 $/$1,205.83
Rent 3 bedrooms Center/Outside Center: $2,306.25 $/$1,500.00
You’ll be thrilled with the cultural diversity in Denver, from world-class museums, theatres to rock music and automobile culture. The average salary monthly salary to count on is 2,502.32 $.
3. St. Louis, MO
Population – 308,174
Monthly costs without rent (single): $908.71
Monthly costs without rent (family of 4): $3,206.93
Rent 1 bedroom Center/Outside Center: $1,087.92 $/$701.82
Rent 3 bedrooms Center/Outside Center: $1,917.15 $/$1,328.57
St. Louis is our top 3 opener due to its affordable living. Besides the great rent prices, the average monthly salary is also great, compared to other similar size cities – 4,125.46 $.
2. Kansas City, MO
Population – 486,404
Monthly costs without rent (single): $903.25
Monthly costs without rent (family of 4): $3,165.68
Rent 1 bedroom Center/Outside Center: $1,192.00 $/$809.70
Rent 3 bedrooms Center/Outside Center: $1,607.89 $/$1,255.24
Kansas city is a safe island in a predominantly red state. It’s perfect both for singles and families, which will find above-average public schools there. The average monthly net salary is 3,499.56 $.
1. Austin, TX
Population – 950,807
Monthly costs without rent (single): $827.37
Monthly costs without rent (family of 4): $2,923.75
Rent 1 bedroom Center/Outside Center: $1,805.23 $/$1,121.72
Rent 3 bedrooms Center/Outside Center: $3,214.00 $/$1,955.48
Yep, the island surrounded by Texas, the live music capital is the number one on our top 15 affordable liberal cities in America. Just look at the monthly average net salary – 5,071.60 $, it’s definitely worth giving it a try!
f11photo/Shutterstock.com
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Disclosure: None. 15 Affordable Liberal Cities in America is originally published on Insider Monkey.
