Most Americans are feeling the strain of rising everyday costs. A recent survey from CouponFollow found that nearly 2 in 5 respondents felt financially insecure about affording the holidays in 2025. Everything from groceries to borrowing costs is making long-term planning more difficult.
And with the average cost of living $2,516 per person before rent, according to LivingCost.org, and the average home priced at $357,275, according to Zillow, it’s no wonder households’ budgets are stretched. Some areas make it easier than others to survive, with the Milken Institute’s 2025 Best-Performing Cities (BPC) index showing the metro areas that handle economic stress most effectively.
The following five cities stand out, based on the BPC index and factors such as local affordability and taxes, as places where day-to-day budgets are easier to manage…