35 Cheapest Beach Towns You Can Afford To Live In
To live where the sand meets the water is a dream for many people, including those who want to retire comfortably under the palms of an affordable beach house. Between the gorgeous natural landscapes, fun local attractions, incredible seafood cuisine, temperate oceanside weather and the uncanny feeling that summer is never ending, having a beach house, condo or apartment can feel like you, your family and your friends are in a paradise all your own.
Although beach cities have the reputation of being expensive places to live, each of the coastal cities on this list has a median home price below the U.S. average of $425,177 and an annual cost of living index under 99.9, making them among the cheapest places to live in the country.
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To find the cheapest beach towns you can afford to live in, GOBankingRates gathered a list of beach towns from across the United States, and for each city, a number of factors were found from Sperlings BestPlaces, including cost of living indexes for groceries, healthcare, housing, utilities, transportation and miscellaneous expenses. Each index was multiplied by its respective national average annual expenditure cost from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey for all consumers.
GOBankingRates crunched the numbers, calculating the total annual expenditure cost for each city, sorting them to show the cheapest beach towns you can afford to live in. All data is up-to-date as-of August 4th, 2023.
While you’re packing for the beach, see how much these beach towns cost so you know how much you need to live comfortably. Here’s the list of the 35 cheapest beach towns you can afford to live in right now in America.
Port Arthur, Texas
Median Home Cost: $88,100
Overall CoL Index: 72.3
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Port Lavaca, Texas
Median Home Cost: $170,500
Overall CoL Index: $77.1
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Palacios, Texas
Median Home Cost: $158,500
Overall CoL Index: 78.4
Waveland, Mississippi
Median Home Cost: $199,600
Overall CoL Index: 81.5
Gulfport, Mississippi
Median Home Cost: $172,600
Overall CoL Index: 80.6
Texas City, Texas
Median Home Cost: $194,800
Overall CoL Index: 82.0
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Freeport, Texas
Median Home Cost: $130,500
Overall CoL Index: 83.8
Ocracoke, North Carolina
Median Home Cost: $411,500
Overall CoL Index: 80.2
Corpus Christi, Texas
Median Home Cost: $210,500
Overall CoL Index: 83.7
Pensacola, Florida
Median Home Cost: $240,000
Overall CoL Index: 87.2
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Carrabelle, Florida
Median Home Cost: $250,400
Overall CoL Index: 84.1
Long Beach, Washington
Median Home Cost: $312,100
Overall CoL Index: 84.0
Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Median Home Cost: $234,500
Overall CoL Index: 88.1
Daytona Beach, Florida
Median Home Cost: $245,100
Overall CoL Index: 86.7
Cameron, Louisiana
Median Home Cost: $182,000
Overall CoL Index: 90.3
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Median Home Cost: $299,700
Overall CoL Index: 87.4
Fort Pierce, Florida
Median Home Cost: $274,000
Overall CoL Index: 88.4
Panama City, Florida
Median Home Cost: $252,800
Overall CoL Index: 88.4
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Grand Isle, Louisiana
Median Home Cost: $219,600
Overall CoL Index: 90.9
Portland, Texas
Median Home Cost: $250,00
Overall CoL Index: 89.1
Rockport, Texas
Median Home Cost: $307,400
Overall CoL Index: 89.4
Chincoteague, Virginia
Median Home Cost: $322,800
Overall CoL Index: 88.1
Norfolk, Virginia
Median Home Cost: $271,500
Overall CoL Index: 91.8
Galveston, Texas
Median Home Cost: $347,400
Overall CoL Index: 93.7
Holly Ridge, North Carolina
Median Home Cost: $310,600
Overall CoL Index: 94.5
Port Washington, Wisconsin
Median Home Cost: $273,800
Overall CoL Index: 96.5
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Sneads Ferry, North Carolina
Median Home Cost: $344,600
Overall CoL Index: 93.9
Vero Beach, Florida
Median Home Cost: $349,200
Overall CoL Index: 95.2
Algoma, Wisconsin
Median Home Cost: $197,900
Overall CoL Index: 94.7
South Padre Island, Texas
Median Home Cost: $416,000
Overall CoL Index: 92.4
Beaufort, North Carolina
Median Home Cost: $343,000
Overall CoL Index: 95.0
Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Median Home Cost: $322,200
Overall CoL Index: 97.1
Port Saint Joe, Florida
Median Home Cost: $271,500
Overall CoL Index: 97.0
Ruskin, Florida
Median Home Cost: $350,00
Overall CoL Index: 99.2
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Clearwater, Florida
Median Home Cost: $338,400
Overall CoL Index: 99.1
John Csiszar contributed to the reporting for this article.
To find the cheapest beach towns you can afford to live in, GOBankingRates gathered a list of beach towns from across the United States, and for each city, a number of factors were found from Sperlings BestPlaces: [1] Grocery Cost of Living Index, [2] Healthcare Cost of Living Index, [3] Housing Cost of Living Index, [4] Utilities Cost of Living Index, [5] Transportation Cost of Living Index, [6] Miscellaneous Cost of Living Index. Each index was multiplied by its respective national average annual expenditure cost from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey for all consumers. Then, GOBankingRates was able to calculate the total annual expenditure cost for each city, sorting them to show the cheapest beach towns you can afford to live in. The beach towns’ overall cost of living index and median home value were also included as supplemental data. All data is up-to-date as-of August 4th, 2023.
Photo Disclaimer: Please note photos are for representational purposes only. As a result, some of the photos might not reflect the locations listed in this article.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 35 Cheapest Beach Towns You Can Afford To Live In
