| # | Town | Score | Typical home | Climate | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Decatur, IL | 100 | $124,660 | cold | homes $124,660 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 2 | Peoria, IL | 100 | $174,845 | cold | homes $174,845 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 3 | Saginaw, MI | 100 | $175,095 | cold | homes $175,095 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 4 | Bay City, MI | 100 | $186,132 | cold | homes $186,132 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 5 | Battle Creek, MI | 100 | $190,005 | cold | homes $190,005 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 6 | Davenport, IA | 100 | $194,778 | cold | homes $194,778 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 7 | Flint, MI | 100 | $195,732 | cold | homes $195,732 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 8 | Waterloo, IA | 100 | $197,585 | cold | homes $197,585 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 9 | Springfield, IL | 100 | $200,781 | cold | homes $200,781 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 10 | Rockford, IL | 100 | $222,178 | cold | homes $222,178 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 11 | Sioux City, IA | 100 | $224,094 | cold | homes $224,094 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 12 | Jackson, MI | 100 | $224,560 | cold | homes $224,560 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 13 | Kankakee, IL | 100 | $227,165 | cold | homes $227,165 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 14 | Champaign, IL | 100 | $239,230 | cold | homes $239,230 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 15 | Midland, MI | 100 | $245,091 | cold | homes $245,091 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 16 | Lansing, MI | 100 | $246,267 | cold | homes $246,267 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 17 | Cedar Rapids, IA | 100 | $246,602 | cold | homes $246,602 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 18 | Muskegon, MI | 100 | $255,238 | cold | homes $255,238 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 19 | Bloomington, IL | 100 | $260,593 | cold | homes $260,593 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 20 | Duluth, MN | 100 | $263,835 | cold | homes $263,835 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 21 | Detroit, MI | 100 | $264,316 | cold | homes $264,316 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 22 | Minot, ND | 100 | $268,966 | cold | homes $268,966 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 23 | Monroe, MI | 100 | $270,413 | cold | homes $270,413 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 24 | Wausau, WI | 100 | $270,942 | cold | homes $270,942 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 25 | Kalamazoo, MI | 100 | $274,078 | cold | homes $274,078 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 26 | Dubuque, IA | 100 | $277,234 | cold | homes $277,234 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 27 | Ames, IA | 100 | $277,302 | cold | homes $277,302 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 28 | Bangor, ME | 100 | $277,445 | cold | homes $277,445 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 29 | Niles, MI | 100 | $281,191 | cold | homes $281,191 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 30 | Grand Forks, ND | 100 | $283,094 | cold | homes $283,094 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 31 | Fond du Lac, WI | 100 | $291,660 | cold | homes $291,660 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 32 | Des Moines, IA | 100 | $292,513 | cold | homes $292,513 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 33 | Janesville, WI | 100 | $296,850 | cold | homes $296,850 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 34 | Iowa City, IA | 100 | $300,040 | cold | homes $300,040 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 35 | Oshkosh, WI | 100 | $304,490 | cold | homes $304,490 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 36 | Mankato, MN | 100 | $305,707 | cold | homes $305,707 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 37 | St. Cloud, MN | 100 | $310,763 | cold | homes $310,763 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 38 | Fairbanks, AK | 100 | $314,300 | cold | homes $314,300 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 39 | Racine, WI | 100 | $315,026 | cold | homes $315,026 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 40 | Eau Claire, WI | 100 | $321,857 | cold | homes $321,857 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 41 | Sheboygan, WI | 100 | $324,230 | cold | homes $324,230 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 42 | Fargo, ND | 100 | $328,304 | cold | homes $328,304 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 43 | Lewiston, ME | 100 | $328,534 | cold | homes $328,534 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 44 | La Crosse, WI | 100 | $330,730 | cold | homes $330,730 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 45 | Rochester, MN | 100 | $338,327 | cold | homes $338,327 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 46 | Sioux Falls, SD | 100 | $338,663 | cold | homes $338,663 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 47 | Great Falls, MT | 100 | $339,963 | cold | homes $339,963 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 48 | Green Bay, WI | 100 | $346,366 | cold | homes $346,366 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 49 | Appleton, WI | 100 | $348,640 | cold | homes $348,640 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 50 | Grand Rapids, MI | 100 | $355,636 | cold | homes $355,636 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 51 | Chicago, IL | 100 | $355,650 | cold | homes $355,650 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 52 | Bismarck, ND | 100 | $356,127 | cold | homes $356,127 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 53 | Rapid City, SD | 100 | $370,125 | cold | homes $370,125 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 54 | Milwaukee, WI | 100 | $384,496 | cold | homes $384,496 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 55 | Minneapolis, MN | 100 | $387,807 | cold | homes $387,807 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 56 | Billings, MT | 100 | $409,623 | cold | homes $409,623 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 57 | Ann Arbor, MI | 100 | $411,985 | cold | homes $411,985 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 58 | Traverse City, MI | 100 | $419,457 | cold | homes $419,457 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 59 | Anchorage, AK | 100 | $424,607 | cold | homes $424,607 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 60 | Madison, WI | 100 | $445,747 | cold | homes $445,747 — 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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