A recent Redfin survey found that 44.4% of American homeowners and renters are struggling to make their payments, with just over 6% of those admitting to have moved in with their parents and another 6% choosing to live with other family members. The survey also found that 41% of those who struggle with their payments have reported eating out less often to make their housing payments, and 34.6% have either stopped or limited vacations.
The good news is that there are U.S. cities where middle-class families are succeeding the most, yet they are considered underrated or rarely discussed. GOBankingRates consulted with real estate experts and real estate data to determine the best cities for middle-class families to thrive in based on housing prices and cost of living.
Cost-of-living scores and information come from BestPlaces.net, with the baseline score (or national average cost of living) being 100. For example, since Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has a score of 81.8, that means that the cost of living is 18.2% lower than the national average for the total expenses, which include housing, food, childcare, transportation, healthcare and taxes…