2 SC cities among most affordable places to live, U.S. News & World Report 2022 ranking shows

Two South Carolina cities ranked in the top 25 best affordable places to live in a new U.S. News and World Report list.

Greenville ranked No. 15 and Spartanburg ranked 24. The No. 1 city on the list was Hickory, North Carolina. Ten of the 25 cities listed were in the South.

The magazine said it looked at the “proportion of the median annual household income that goes toward the average cost to own or rent a home, including the typical cost of utilities and taxes.”

Greenville, with an average annual salary of $47,100, spends 21.21% on living expenses. Greenville ranked No. 43 on the magazine’s Best Places to Live list.

“A steadily growing number of people are benefiting from the low cost of living: Greenville’s population grew by 5% due to net migration between 2016 and 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.”

Spartanburg ranked No. 62 on the Best Places to Live list. It has an average annual salary of $46,650 and spends 21.68% on living expenses.

“While living in a metro area like Charleston, South Carolina, might be pricey, the cost of living in other parts of the Palmetto State, like Spartanburg, is much more manageable,” the magazine said.

They cited property taxes as a factor in helping lower the cost of living.

The top 10 most affordable cities after Hickory were Green Bay, Wisconsin; Huntsville, Alabama; Quad Cities in Iowa and Illinois; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Beaumont, Texas; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Peoria, Illinois; and Youngstown, Ohio.

This story was originally published May 17, 2022 at 11:15 AM.