Most Americans are feeling the strain of rising everyday costs. A recent survey from CouponFollow found that nearly 2 in 5 respondents felt financially insecure about affording the holidays in 2025. Everything from groceries to borrowing costs is making long-term planning more difficult.
And with the average cost of living $2,516 per person before rent, according to LivingCost.org, and the average home priced at $357,275, according to Zillow, it’s no wonder households’ budgets are stretched. Some areas make it easier than others to survive, with the Milken Institute’s 2025 Best-Performing Cities (BPC) index showing the metro areas that handle economic stress most effectively.
