KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — A personal finance website has named Kalamazoo the nation’s top city for affordability.
The Ascent used data from the Council for Community and Economic Research and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to analyze the cost of living and salary data for more than 200 of the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. to find the best combinations of high salaries and low costs of living.
Topping the list was Kalamazoo with a cost of living index at 77.0, mean annual salary at $47,060, and salary/cost of living index at 611.2.
According to their website, “The Cost of Living Index is designed so that a score of 100 corresponds to the “average” cost of living in U.S. metropolitan areas. For example, a score of 200 would mean that it costs approximately twice the national average to live in a certain area.”
They add that Kalamazoo’s housing costs just over half (53.3%) of the national average.
Following Kalamazoo is Huntsville Alabama, Des Moines Iowa, Champaign-Urbana Illinois, and St. Louis Missouri.
The full report can be found here.
