With every passing year, it seems the holiday season begins a little earlier, so much so that many retail stores start stocking Christmas décor before the week of Halloween and Black Friday sales now kick off as early as Nov. 1.
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There’s a reason for this: People just love the holiday season. In fact, a 2024 YouGov survey revealed that Christmas is the favorite day of the year for approximately one-third of all Americans, with Thanksgiving coming in second place as the favorite day for approximately 23% of the population.
With at least 59% of the population choosing pricey holidays such as Christmas or Thanksgiving as their favorite day of the year, you have to wonder: What are the best — and most affordable — places to live if you love the holiday season?
That’s a question GOBankingRates sought to answer, first by identifying a large number of American cities that were defined by Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Lonely Planet, Planned Weddings and more as the best go-to locations for holiday splendor and celebration. From that list, GOBankingRates then analyzed such factors as the median income, cost of living, average home values and the savings potential of each city.
In the end, this GOBankingRates study uncovered the 50 most affordable places to live in America if you love the holidays, listed from highest to lowest in terms of how much each city allows you to save (for holiday shopping, of course).
Key Findings
- Sometimes, it’s all about the name: A number of cities on the list maintain the holiday spirit all year long by giving themselves a name to live up to — Bethlehem (Pennsylvania), North Pole (Alaska), and of course, Santa Claus (Indiana).
- The Midwest leads the way: It should come as no surprise that Midwestern states — Michigan, Minnesota and Missouri, to be specific — hold a three-way tie for the most cities on the list, with three each. Each state in this trio has snowy winters, creating a classic holiday atmosphere from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve.
- There’s a holiday city for every income bracket: This study runs the gamut of economic classes — San Francisco has a median household income of $141,446 annually, Omaha’s median is $72,708, and Cleveland rounds it out at $39,187.
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1. McAdenville, North Carolina
- Annual cost of living: $54,715
- Median household income: $117,411
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $62,696
- Livability: 61
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2. Santa Claus, Indiana
- Annual cost of living: $41,514
- Median household income: $101,875
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $60,361
- Livability: 71
3. Grapevine, Texas
- Annual cost of living: $61,169
- Median household income: $111,438
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $50,269
- Livability: 83
4. East Aurora, New York
- Annual cost of living: $53,998
- Median household income: $101,490
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $47,492
- Livability: 82
5. North Pole, Alaska
- Annual cost of living: $50,998
- Median household income: $93,355
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $42,357
- Livability: 63
6. Frankenmuth, Michigan
- Annual cost of living: $45,111
- Median household income: $84,583
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $39,472
- Livability: 85
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7. Burnet, Texas
- Annual cost of living: $49,519
- Median household income: $88,000
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $38,481
- Livability: 74
8. Annapolis, Maryland
- Annual cost of living: $67,357
- Median household income: $104,257
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $36,900
- Livability: 79
9. Seattle
- Annual cost of living: $87,145
- Median household income: $121,984
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $34,839
- Livability: 75
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10. Minneapolis
- Annual cost of living: $47,271
- Median household income: $80,269
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $32,998
- Livability: 78
11. Mason City, Iowa
- Annual cost of living: $31,611
- Median household income: $62,369
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $30,758
- Livability: 80
12. Garrison, North Dakota
- Annual cost of living: $38,100
- Median household income: $68,646
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $30,546
- Livability: 68
13. St. Paul, Minnesota
- Annual cost of living: $43,708
- Median household income: $73,055
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $29,347
- Livability: 81
14. Omaha, Nebraska
- Annual cost of living: $43,484
- Median household income: $72,708
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $29,224
- Livability: 83
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15. Washington, D.C.
- Annual cost of living: $77,289
- Median household income: $106,287
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $28,998
- Livability: 75
16. Franklin, Tennessee
- Annual cost of living: $86,408
- Median household income: $115,000
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $28,592
- Livability: 75
17. Denver
- Annual cost of living: $63,455
- Median household income: $91,681
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $28,226
- Livability: 72
18. Chicago
- Annual cost of living: $47,014
- Median household income: $75,134
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $28,120
- Livability: 78
19. Huntsville, Alabama
- Annual cost of living: $43,094
- Median household income: $70,778
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $27,684
- Livability: 83
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20. Kansas City, Missouri
- Annual cost of living: $40,159
- Median household income: $67,449
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $27,290
- Livability: 78
21. Clear Lake, Iowa
- Annual cost of living: $43,223
- Median household income: $70,278
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $27,055
- Livability: 80
22. St. Augustine, Florida
- Annual cost of living: $53,446
- Median household income: $80,473
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $27,027
- Livability: 87
23. Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Annual cost of living: $79,613
- Median household income: $105,756
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $26,143
- Livability: 85
24. Charleston, South Carolina
- Annual cost of living: $63,992
- Median household income: $90,038
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $26,046
- Livability: 77
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25. Boise, Idaho
- Annual cost of living: $55,452
- Median household income: $81,308
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $25,856
- Livability: 84
26. Duluth, Minnesota
- Annual cost of living: $40,884
- Median household income: $66,263
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $25,379
- Livability: 80
27. Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
- Annual cost of living: $39,771
- Median household income: $64,297
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $24,526
- Livability: 75
28. Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Annual cost of living: $42,335
- Median household income: $65,526
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $23,191
- Livability: 83
29. Clarksville, Tennessee
- Annual cost of living: $44,505
- Median household income: $66,786
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $22,191
- Livability: 83
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30. Dallas
- Annual cost of living: $46,695
- Median household income: $67,760
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $21,065
- Livability: 81
31. Nashville, Tennessee
- Annual cost of living: $54,380
- Median household income: $75,197
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $20,817
- Livability: 78
32. Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Annual cost of living: $60,788
- Median household income: $81,089
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $20,301
- Livability: 89
33. St. Louis, Missouri
- Annual cost of living: $35,332
- Median household income: $55,279
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $19,947
- Livability: 74
34. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
- Annual cost of living: $47,753
- Median household income: $66,443
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $18,690
- Livability: 80
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35. San Francisco
- Annual cost of living: $122,866
- Median household income: $141,446
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $18,580
- Livability: 75
36. Pine Mountain, Georgia
- Annual cost of living: $43,009
- Median household income: $61,531
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $18,522
- Livability: 62
37. Kennebunkport, Maine
- Annual cost of living: $100,714
- Median household income: $118,922
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $18,208
- Livability: 68
38. Seneca Falls, New York
- Annual cost of living: $36,537
- Median household income: $54,429
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $17,892
- Livability: 38
39. Orlando, Florida
- Annual cost of living: $52,251
- Median household income: $69,268
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $17,017
- Livability: 81
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40. Bend, Oregon
- Annual cost of living: $72,690
- Median household income: $88,792
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $16,102
- Livability: 84
41. Paso Robles, California
- Annual cost of living: $77,155
- Median household income: $93,098
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $15,943
- Livability: 57
42. Las Vegas
- Annual cost of living: $56,282
- Median household income: $70,723
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $14,441
- Livability: 82
43. New Orleans
- Annual cost of living: $41,609
- Median household income: $55,339
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $13,730
- Livability: 75
44. Niagra Falls, New York
- Annual cost of living: $35,214
- Median household income: $48,535
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $13,321
- Livability: 59
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45. Branson, Missouri
- Annual cost of living: $42,195
- Median household income: $54,961
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $12,766
- Livability: 77
46. Asheville, North Carolina
- Annual cost of living: $56,636
- Median household income: $67,221
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $10,585
- Livability: 72
47. Charlottesville, Virginia
- Annual cost of living: $59,323
- Median household income: $69,829
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $10,506
- Livability: 83
48. Boston
- Annual cost of living: $84,737
- Median household income: $94,755
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $10,018
- Livability: 77
49. Lewisburg, West Virginia
- Annual cost of living: $43,290
- Median household income: $52,798
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $9,508
- Livability: 60
50. Cleveland
- Annual cost of living: $29,745
- Median household income: $39,187
- Savings remaining after cost of living: $9,442
- Livability: 72
Editor’s note: Photos are for representational purposes only and might not reflect the exact locations listed.
Methodology: GOBankingRates identified cities using Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, The Modest Man, Planned Wanderings, Lonely Planet and The Local Tourist. Median household income was sourced from the 2023 U.S. Census American Community Survey. The cost-of-living indexes were sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces and national average expenditure costs came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. Mortgage data was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index and the Federal Reserve Economic Data and combined with expenditure cost to get total cost of living. The livability index was sourced from AreaVibes. Using the median household income and total cost of living, the leftover savings was calculated. The cities are sorted to show the highest leftover savings, showing the most affordable places to live if you love the holidays. All data was collected on Nov. 7, 2025.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 50 Most Affordable Places To Live If You Love the Holidays
