Pueblo One of the Cheapest Places to Live
April 2, 2013
Those of us who have lived here all our lives know that it’s pretty cheap to live here. Of course, the median income is the lowest on the top 10 lists of cities.
According to MSN.Realestate.com we ranked number 2 on the lowest cost of living in the nation
We compiled our rankings based on the ACCRA Cost of Living Index produced by the Council for Community and Economic Research. The index measures relative price levels for housing, utilities, transportation, groceries, health care and miscellaneous goods and services (it does not include taxes). A composite score of 100 reflects the national average. Scores lower than 100 reflect a lower-than-average cost of living, and scores higher than 100 reflect a higher-than-average cost of living. Median household income and average home prices are from the Toronto-based Martin Prosperity Institute. We sampled all U.S. cities with metropolitan area populations of at least 75,000.
Although it’s just 100 miles from Denver, Pueblo is an economic hub of southeastern Colorado with a much lower cost of living. Homes here are cheaper, on average, than in the rest of the state—and the nation. In fact, you can get a house in Pueblo for $87,000 less than the U.S. average. That’s a good thing since the city’s median household income is the lowest on our list, and grocery, utility and transportation costs are among the highest. There’s no charge, of course, for mountain views, and several national parks and forests are within easy driving distance.
The Pueblo metropolitan statistical area in southeastern Colorado is a regional transportation and retail center. Major employers include the Parkview Medical Center, public schools, and county government, according to the Pueblo Economic Development Corp. The cost of living in the area is the second lowest in the U.S., mostly due to low housing costs, which C2ER estimates are nearly 30 percent lower than the national average. Median household income in the area is $40,805, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
