Forbe’s list of America’s Best Bargain Cities based on average salary, annual unemployment statistics, the Housing Opportunity Index, and the cost of living:
- Austin, Texas
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Washington, D.C.
- Fort Worth, Texas
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Columbus, Ohio
- Dallas, Texas
- Houston, Texas
- San Antonio, Texas
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Denver, Colorado
- Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Detroit, Michigan
Austin topped the list with high marks in all four indicators used by Forbe’s, and 4 other Texas cities joined Austin in this National top-15 list: Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.
Nearly a decade ago, after making a donation to a volunteer-run radio station in Austin, Texas, local librarian Red Wassenich was asked why he chose to support a broadcaster with a penchant for playing strange crooner music. “Because it keeps Austin weird,” he said.
Since then, the phrase “Keep Austin Weird” has become the city’s official rallying cry against the establishment of large chain stores near mom-and-pop shops–and, more generally, for maintaining the city’s eccentric feel. The city may be weird, but perhaps more redeeming is that it’s also a bargain to live there: Austin is the place where people pay the least to get the most.
“Austin has always been really different from the rest of Texas,” says Wassenich, 59.
