The Cheapest US State To Live In Isn't Considered One Of The Best

Have you ever been doing some online or in-person shopping and come across a discount on a product that sounds too good to be true? If so, in this situation, it's relatively easy to find yourself wondering things like "what's the catch?" or "there has to be something wrong with this." While sometimes, though rarely, there are non-nefarious reasons as to why an otherwise highly priced good is placed at a discounted value — holiday shopping events like Black Friday (which Americans spend a surprising amount during) are good examples of this.

That being said, when it comes to the place you decide to call your home, it might be better not to sacrifice cost for comfort. This is why highly sought after locations like Honolulu and San Diego tend to have significantly higher priced real estate markets (and are located in some of the top 5 most expensive states to live in), as the climate is warm year round and there are generally more job market opportunities. At the same time, certain places in the U.S. that might not have the same amount of opportunities to offer residents could appear cheaper to live in. Chief among these places is the state of Arkansas, which, while one of the cheapest U.S. states to live in, is by no means considered one of the best.

If you're considering relocating in 2025, it's probably not a stretch to suggest that it's because of one or two primary reasons: opportunity and/or cost of living. With the current economic state in the country, it's no wonder that many Americans are moving out of big cities and even deciding to be child free, given the costs associated with childbirth and resulting medical debt. However, it is worth noting that moving to a more affordable state can come with significant downsides. While it would be great to kill two birds with one stone and find the perfect place to relocate with both a low cost of living and access to opportunities, depending on what you're looking for, finding one of these places may be few and far between.

Arkansas is the perfect example of this. While the state takes the crown as the cheapest state in America, it also ranks 49th for the overall crime rate, making it one of the least safe states to live in, according to U.S. News & World Report. The state also ranks 40th for economy, 38th for education, 47th for healthcare, and 42nd for infrastructure. In fact, out of all 50 states, Arkansas ranks 47th which could mean rethinking a move there anytime soon.

It's worth noting that not all affordable states have the same dearth of opportunity. For example, the No. 5 affordable state in the country actually ranks pretty well as far as opportunity goes. That is, if you are able to put up with the extreme cold temperatures it has in the winter and the rural nature of South Dakota. The state ranks No. 15 for education, No. 13 for economy, No. 8 for infrastructure, No. 4 for natural environment, and No. 11 for opportunity. However, on the downside, the state does ranks No. 43 for healthcare.

Another affordable state is West Virginia, but the prospects are not great. The state ranks No. 16 for opportunity and No. 18 for fiscal stability. It also has the lowest education, economic, and healthcare prospects in the country, all ranked at No. 48. Ranking No. 3 in affordability is Alabama, which despite a rich history and rather temperate climate, ranks pretty low across multiple factors. Alabama ranks No. 32 for economy, No. 45 for education, No. 44 for healthcare, No. 36 for infrastructure, and No. 31 for opportunity overall. However, for the second cheapest state in America, Mississippi, it's even worse. Mississippi is actually the worst state for healthcare in the entire country and also has the worst economy. Amongst other things, it ranks No. 35 for education, No. 45 for fiscal stability, No. 48 for infrastructure, and No. 35 for opportunity overall.