10 Most Affordable Cities on the East Coast if You Make Under $100,000

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It’s expensive to live on the coasts in the United States.

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Just look at the average home values in the four corners of the country, according to Zillow and current as of June 2024.

Seattle, $886,253. Boston, $750,219. San Diego, $1,032,804. And Miami, $575,859.

But if you’re sold on living on the East Coast, you could find hidden gems in states up and down the Atlantic seaboard, where an annual salary of $100,000 would allow you to build a comfortable life.

GOBankingRates used information and statistics from U.S. News & World Report’s Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2024-25, Zillow (average home values), the U.S. Census Bureau and Sperling’s Best Places (cost of living and income to live comfortably) to come up with a list of the 10 Most Affordable Cities on the East Coast if You Make Under $100,000.

All of them have an average home value less than the national average of $358,734, and the cost of living is below the national average – in some cases, well below – in nine of the 10 locations. Maybe one of them will suit you if you consider a new East Coast residence.

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Salisbury, Maryland

• Average home value: $252,259

• Cost of living: 16.3% below national average

• Income to live comfortably: $42,480

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Spartanburg, South Carolina

• Average home value: $220,890

• Cost of living: 15.2% below national average

• Income to live comfortably: $36,380

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Columbia, South Carolina

• Average home value: $228,201

• Cost of living: 12.6% below national average

• Income to live comfortably: $39,240

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Hickory, North Carolina

• Average home value: $286,223

• Cost of living: 11% below national average

• Income to live comfortably: $48,960

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Savannah, Georgia

• Average home value: $317,712

• Cost of living: 9.8% below national average

• Income to live comfortably: $49,680

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Lakeland, Florida

• Average home value: $324,320

• Cost of living: 8.4% below national average

• Income to live comfortably: $54,000

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Buffalo, New York

• Average home value: $223,805

• Cost of living: 7.9% below national average

• Income to live comfortably: $39,240

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Daytona Beach, Florida

• Average home value: $266,067

• Cost of living: 5.1% below national average

• Income to live comfortably: $46,800

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Springfield, Massachusetts

• Average home value: $274,349

• Cost of living: 3.8% below national average

• Income to live comfortably: $46,080

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Trenton, New Jersey

• Average home value: $323,547

• Cost of living: 4.6% above national average

• Income to live comfortably: $48,240

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 10 Most Affordable Cities on the East Coast if You Make Under $100,000