Not everyone craves the bright lights and crowded spaces of big cities. In fact, almost one-third of Americans (31%) say they would prefer to live in the suburbs, compared to 16% for urban areas and 24% for rural communities. Small-city life can be best for those who appreciate more wiggle room, fewer degrees of separation and shorter commutes, to name just a few of its advantages. Granted, these little urban areas demand some tradeoffs, too, such as fewer restaurant options or shorter business hours.

One of the best perks of living in a city with a relatively small population is affordability. For example, the cost of living for a two-parent, two-child family in a small New York town can be as low as around $7,000 per month, while the cost for the same family in Manhattan is nearly twice as much ($13,300), according to the Economic Policy Institute.

To find out which small cities outshine the rest, WalletHub compared more than 1,300 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 based on 45 key indicators of livability. They range from housing costs to school-system quality to the number of restaurants per capita.

Read the full article here:

https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-small-cities-to-live-in/16581

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