| # | Town | Score | Typical home | Climate | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Decatur, IL | 100 | $126,931 | cold | homes $126,931 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 2 | Peoria, IL | 100 | $172,742 | cold | homes $172,742 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 3 | Saginaw, MI | 100 | $173,341 | cold | homes $173,341 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 4 | Bay City, MI | 100 | $186,601 | cold | homes $186,601 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 5 | Battle Creek, MI | 100 | $189,677 | cold | homes $189,677 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 6 | Davenport, IA | 100 | $195,380 | cold | homes $195,380 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 7 | Flint, MI | 100 | $197,858 | cold | homes $197,858 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 8 | Waterloo, IA | 100 | $200,191 | cold | homes $200,191 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 9 | Springfield, IL | 100 | $200,409 | cold | homes $200,409 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 10 | Rockford, IL | 100 | $221,368 | cold | homes $221,368 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 11 | Kankakee, IL | 100 | $223,721 | cold | homes $223,721 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 12 | Sioux City, IA | 100 | $225,213 | cold | homes $225,213 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 13 | Jackson, MI | 100 | $227,287 | cold | homes $227,287 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 14 | Champaign, IL | 100 | $237,290 | cold | homes $237,290 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 15 | Cedar Rapids, IA | 100 | $244,344 | cold | homes $244,344 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 16 | Midland, MI | 100 | $247,026 | cold | homes $247,026 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 17 | Lansing, MI | 100 | $250,377 | cold | homes $250,377 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 18 | Muskegon, MI | 100 | $255,271 | cold | homes $255,271 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 19 | Bloomington, IL | 100 | $260,134 | cold | homes $260,134 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 20 | Duluth, MN | 100 | $264,350 | cold | homes $264,350 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 21 | Minot, ND | 100 | $268,181 | cold | homes $268,181 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 22 | Detroit, MI | 100 | $269,080 | cold | homes $269,080 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 23 | Monroe, MI | 100 | $269,112 | cold | homes $269,112 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 24 | Wausau, WI | 100 | $274,194 | cold | homes $274,194 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 25 | Grand Forks, ND | 100 | $275,955 | cold | homes $275,955 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 26 | Dubuque, IA | 100 | $279,463 | cold | homes $279,463 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 27 | Kalamazoo, MI | 100 | $279,752 | cold | homes $279,752 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 28 | Ames, IA | 100 | $280,269 | cold | homes $280,269 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 29 | Bangor, ME | 100 | $280,733 | cold | homes $280,733 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 30 | Niles, MI | 100 | $282,443 | cold | homes $282,443 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 31 | Fond du Lac, WI | 100 | $291,420 | cold | homes $291,420 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 32 | Des Moines, IA | 100 | $296,070 | cold | homes $296,070 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 33 | Janesville, WI | 100 | $296,342 | cold | homes $296,342 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 34 | Iowa City, IA | 100 | $302,063 | cold | homes $302,063 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 35 | Oshkosh, WI | 100 | $304,543 | cold | homes $304,543 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 36 | Mankato, MN | 100 | $309,967 | cold | homes $309,967 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 37 | Fairbanks, AK | 100 | $312,179 | cold | homes $312,179 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 38 | Racine, WI | 100 | $316,876 | cold | homes $316,876 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 39 | St. Cloud, MN | 100 | $318,864 | cold | homes $318,864 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 40 | Sheboygan, WI | 100 | $324,544 | cold | homes $324,544 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 41 | Eau Claire, WI | 100 | $327,164 | cold | homes $327,164 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 42 | Fargo, ND | 100 | $327,854 | cold | homes $327,854 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 43 | Lewiston, ME | 100 | $333,850 | cold | homes $333,850 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 44 | La Crosse, WI | 100 | $335,330 | cold | homes $335,330 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 45 | Sioux Falls, SD | 100 | $342,936 | cold | homes $342,936 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 46 | Rochester, MN | 100 | $343,121 | cold | homes $343,121 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 47 | Great Falls, MT | 100 | $344,945 | cold | homes $344,945 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 48 | Green Bay, WI | 100 | $346,517 | cold | homes $346,517 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 49 | Appleton, WI | 100 | $350,370 | cold | homes $350,370 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 50 | Chicago, IL | 100 | $353,998 | cold | homes $353,998 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 51 | Bismarck, ND | 100 | $356,992 | cold | homes $356,992 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 52 | Grand Rapids, MI | 100 | $359,923 | cold | homes $359,923 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 53 | Rapid City, SD | 100 | $374,117 | cold | homes $374,117 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 54 | Milwaukee, WI | 100 | $390,238 | cold | homes $390,238 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 55 | Minneapolis, MN | 100 | $393,774 | cold | homes $393,774 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 56 | Billings, MT | 100 | $410,666 | cold | homes $410,666 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 57 | Traverse City, MI | 100 | $421,806 | cold | homes $421,806 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 58 | Anchorage, AK | 100 | $422,103 | cold | homes $422,103 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 59 | Ann Arbor, MI | 100 | $422,945 | cold | homes $422,945 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 60 | Madison, WI | 100 | $452,769 | cold | homes $452,769 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
· NOAA 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, coarse state-center band. · Certified 2024 presidential two-party vote margin, state level (proxy for the county margins a full build would use).
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