Top States for Business

These states are the cheapest places to live in America in 2019

Beth Hall | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Living the American dream means being financially comfortable and living in a place you love — and can afford.

In this turbocharged economy, more people are looking to relocate nationwide in search of better job opportunities, lower tax havens and places that offer their families a better quality of life.

To help you determine which states are currently the most affordable — based on cost of living, the price of housing, energy, food prices and other prices of goods and services — one can turn to CNBC's exclusive annual America's Top States for Business study.

The cost of living in the U.S. varies widely from state to state. In urban areas, especially, the cost of housing, food, taxes and other expenses can be exorbitant. In other areas your dollar can go a long way. A state with a low cost of living can be a great draw for companies looking to attract workers. That is why Cost of Living is one of the 10 categories of competitiveness in our rankings.

We score all 50 states based on an index of items ranging from groceries to housing. These are the 10 states where your money goes the furthest, along with average prices for some basic items in each state's most expensive area. Price data is based on the 2018 Annual Average Cost of Living Index by the Council for Community and Economic Research.

Here are the 10 cheapest states, along with average prices for some items in the most expensive metro areas.

10. Wyoming

Wyoming, Shell, The Hideout Guest Ranch, cow-boy, Tom
Sylvain CORDIER | Gamma-Rapho | Getty Images

You may feel more at home on the range than indoors here in the Cowboy State, but you can rent a two-bedroom apartment in Laramie for just $861 per month. That is about one-third the cost in Seattle. Heck, at these prices, you might as well buy your homestead. Housing prices are dirt cheap. Expect to pay a little more than $1,000 a month in principal and interest on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage on a mid-priced home, compared to more than $7,000 per month in New York City.

2019 Cost of Living score: 41 out of 50 points (Top States Grade: A-)
Most expensive area: Laramie
Average home price: $271,475
Half gallon of milk: $2.49
Ribeye steak: $12.61
Monthly energy bill: $130.86
Doctor visit: $106.00

9. Indiana

Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Robert Laberge | Getty Images

Getting around is a breeze here in the Crossroads of America, and it's a bargain as well. Gas prices are about 25% less in Indianapolis than in Bellingham, Washington. Servicing your ride is cheap as well. You will pay just $38.87 to balance a set of four tires, compared to nearly $52 in Ames, Iowa. And once you get to where you are going, you are sure to like the prices. A movie ticket will cost you about $11, compared to more than $14 in Chicago.

2019 Cost of Living score: 42 out of 50 points (Top States Grade: A-)
Most expensive area: Indianapolis
Average home price: $250,625
Half gallon of milk: $1.51
Ribeye steak: $11.80
Monthly energy bill: $184.40
Doctor visit: $93.91

8. Kansas

Josh Smith, 6, of Wellsville, opens his mouth for a rinse as dental assistant Kim Gabriel, top, cleans his teeth during a regular scheduled check-up
Shane Keyser | MCT via Getty Images

A Manhattan apartment for $800 per month? Sure, if it's Manhattan, Kansas. Here in the Sunflower State, you can afford to bloom and grow. At $3.79 per pound, ground beef will cost you nearly 45 percent less than in that other Manhattan in New York. A trip to the dentist in Manhattan, Kansas, will cost you about $88, compared to about $125 in the Big Apple.

2019 Cost of Living score: 43 out of 50 points (Top States Grade: A-)
Most expensive area: Manhattan
Average home price: $311,911
Half gallon of milk: $1.39
Ribeye steak: $11.04
Monthly energy bill: $179.18
Doctor visit: $89.50

6. (tie) Tennessee

Prince's Hot Chicken served X-tra hot with mashed potatoes and cole slaw.
Alan Poizner | The Washington Post | Getty Images

Here in the Volunteer State, you won't feel like you need to work two paying jobs just to get by. Want some southern fried chicken? That whole fryer will cost you just $1.16 per pound. That compares to $2.76 in Augusta, Georgia. The oil to fry it in will cost you just $3.98 a bottle, compared to $7.40 in Brooklyn, New York.

2019 Cost of Living score: 45 out of 50 points (Top States Grade: A)
Most expensive area: Nashville-Murfreesboro
Average home price: $318,571
Half gallon of milk: $1.78
Ribeye steak: $12.08
Monthly energy bill: $157.08
Doctor visit: $94.52

6. (tie) Alabama

Funnel cakes are available in many flavors at the Mardi Gras celebration in Mobile, Alabama
Carol M. Highsmith | Getty Images

A five-pound sack of sugar in the Heart of Dixie will cost you under $2 in much of the state, compared to more than $3 in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. No wonder it's Sweet Home, Alabama. And if all that sugar sends you to the dentist in Montgomery, it will only cost you about $66 for the visit, or less than half the cost in San Francisco.

2019 Cost of Living score: 45 out of 50 points (Top States Grade: A)
Most expensive area: Mobile
Average home price: $241,783
Half gallon of milk: $2.32
Ribeye steak: $9.96
Monthly energy bill: $192.98
Doctor visit: $116.24

5. Michigan

Kayaking in Lake Superior, Isle Royale National Park
NetaDegany | Getty Images

The Great Lakes State is an outdoor paradise, so let's tally up some of the costs of a family picnic in Grand Rapids. You probably want to grill some burgers. Ground beef will cost you just $3.78 per pound. That compares to $5.17 in Reno, Nevada. A ten-ounce bag of potato chips costs around $3, or about 30 percent less than in New Haven, Connecticut. A six-pack of beer will cost you about $8, compared to more than $12 in Rochester, New York.

2019 Cost of Living score: 46 out of 50 points (Top States Grade: A)
Most expensive area: Grand Rapids
Average home price: $288,912
Half gallon of milk: $1.77
Ribeye steak: $10.45
Monthly energy bill: $165.99
Doctor visit: $96.94

4. Missouri

Jason Fields, Urban Farm Guy, Lykins neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri, transformed properties, real estate, gardens and a community.
Jill Toyoshiba | MCT via Getty Images

If you are planning a visit to the Show Me State, you may want to ask a real estate agent to show you some houses while you are there. Joplin is home to the lowest real estate prices in the country—a four-bedroom home will cost you a little over $200,000. Even in more expensive parts of the state, prices are extremely affordable. Show me where else you can find grocery prices like these. Eggs are about $1.32 a dozen in Joplin. You will pay nearly twice that in Miami, at $2.61.

2019 Cost of Living score: 47 out of 50 points (Top States Grade: A+)
Most expensive area: Kansas City
Average home price: $276,197
Half gallon of milk: $2.10
Ribeye steak: $11.76
Monthly energy bill: $160.33
Doctor visit: $94.24

3. Arkansas

Produce at an Arkansas farmer's market
dlewis33 | iStock | Getty Images

You can afford to eat some healthy food here in the Natural State. Bananas are just 49 cents a pound in Jonesboro, Arkansas. A head of lettuce is about one dollar, or half the cost in Stockton, California. Okay, enough with the healthy stuff. A McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese will cost you just $3.90 in Little Rock, versus $5.58 in San Francisco.

2019 Cost of Living score: 48 out of 50 points (Top States Grade: A+)
Most expensive area: Little Rock
Average home price: $339,778
Half gallon of milk: $2.16
Ribeye steak: $9.69
Monthly energy bill: $149.97
Doctor visit: $114.28

2. Oklahoma

Big house on the prairie
disorderly | iStock | Getty Images

People have been coming to Oklahoma to find bargains since before it was a state. Oklahoma earned its nickname—the Sooner State—during the Land Rush of 1889. That is when President Benjamin Harrison opened unassigned lands to settlers, who scrambled to get here sooner than the next guy. Today, you will have to pay for your Oklahoma home, but it is still a bargain. Ponca City is home to the lowest apartment rents in the country at $500 for a two-bedroom unit.

2019 Cost of Living score: 49 out of 50 points (Top States Grade: A+)
Most expensive area: Enid
Average home price: $317,039
Half gallon of milk: $2.03
Ribeye steak: $10.42
Monthly energy bill: $163.78
Doctor visit: $125.00

1. Mississippi

Young friends on summer holidays drinking wine and looking at view at rustic countryside house
wundervisuals | E+ | Getty Images

This state is so frugal, it can afford two nicknames — the Magnolia State and the Hospitality State. You will be able to offer true Southern hospitality with some of the most affordable housing in the nation. Throw some steaks on the grill. They will cost about 50% less in Jackson than they would in New York. Open up a bottle of wine for your guests. It will cost less than $10, compared to nearly $14 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

2019 Cost of Living score:
50 out of 50 points (Top States Score: A+)
Most expensive area:Jackson
Average home price: $275,509
Half gallon of milk: $2.90
Ribeye steak: $9.73
Monthly energy bill: $127.10
Doctor visit: $91.27

Here are America's Top States for Business 2019 category winners
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Here are America's Top States for Business 2019 category winners