10 Best Cheap Cities for Raising a Family

By Louis DeNicola, Cheapism.com

Related: 6 most affordable (and growing) cities in the U.S.

Americans thinking about having a family can expect to spend close to a quarter-million dollars to raise each child to the age of 18, according to a 2013 government estimate. If the total seems shocking, consider moving to a community where it's less costly to live. To give your search some direction, Cheapism.com compiled a list of 10 affordable cities in which to grow a family.

Related: Best budget BBQ grills

We began our research with the 52 mid-size U.S. cities -- those with populations between 300,000 and 1 million. Using data from Sperling's Best Places, we assessed four primary factors, assigning each equal weight: a cost of living index that accounts for the cost of housing, food, transportation, utilities, health care, and general expenses (e.g., entertainment and clothing), with 100 as the national average; per-student spending by the school district; violent crime (rates of murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault); and median household income. To a lesser degree, our methodology factored in city sales tax rates, unemployment, share of residents with a commute less than 15 minutes, share of married residents with children, and a comfort index that reflects afternoon summer temperatures and humidity.

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