| # | Town | Score | Typical home | Climate | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Decatur, IL | 100 | $126,812 | cold | homes $126,812 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 2 | Peoria, IL | 100 | $174,841 | cold | homes $174,841 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 3 | Saginaw, MI | 100 | $176,680 | cold | homes $176,680 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 4 | Bay City, MI | 100 | $188,382 | cold | homes $188,382 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 5 | Battle Creek, MI | 100 | $190,962 | cold | homes $190,962 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 6 | Davenport, IA | 100 | $196,628 | cold | homes $196,628 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 7 | Flint, MI | 100 | $196,792 | cold | homes $196,792 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 8 | Waterloo, IA | 100 | $199,692 | cold | homes $199,692 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 9 | Springfield, IL | 100 | $200,021 | cold | homes $200,021 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 10 | Rockford, IL | 100 | $224,246 | cold | homes $224,246 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 11 | Jackson, MI | 100 | $226,007 | cold | homes $226,007 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 12 | Sioux City, IA | 100 | $226,131 | cold | homes $226,131 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 13 | Kankakee, IL | 100 | $226,806 | cold | homes $226,806 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 14 | Champaign, IL | 100 | $239,660 | cold | homes $239,660 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 15 | Midland, MI | 100 | $245,068 | cold | homes $245,068 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 16 | Cedar Rapids, IA | 100 | $245,444 | cold | homes $245,444 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 17 | Lansing, MI | 100 | $249,666 | cold | homes $249,666 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 18 | Muskegon, MI | 100 | $257,800 | cold | homes $257,800 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 19 | Bloomington, IL | 100 | $261,173 | cold | homes $261,173 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 20 | Duluth, MN | 100 | $265,012 | cold | homes $265,012 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 21 | Detroit, MI | 100 | $267,167 | cold | homes $267,167 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 22 | Minot, ND | 100 | $269,993 | cold | homes $269,993 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 23 | Wausau, WI | 100 | $272,862 | cold | homes $272,862 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 24 | Monroe, MI | 100 | $273,513 | cold | homes $273,513 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 25 | Kalamazoo, MI | 100 | $278,194 | cold | homes $278,194 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 26 | Dubuque, IA | 100 | $279,670 | cold | homes $279,670 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 27 | Ames, IA | 100 | $279,794 | cold | homes $279,794 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 28 | Bangor, ME | 100 | $281,810 | cold | homes $281,810 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 29 | Grand Forks, ND | 100 | $282,529 | cold | homes $282,529 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 30 | Niles, MI | 100 | $284,293 | cold | homes $284,293 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 31 | Fond du Lac, WI | 100 | $292,532 | cold | homes $292,532 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 32 | Des Moines, IA | 100 | $294,192 | cold | homes $294,192 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 33 | Janesville, WI | 100 | $299,595 | cold | homes $299,595 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 34 | Iowa City, IA | 100 | $302,216 | cold | homes $302,216 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 35 | Oshkosh, WI | 100 | $304,115 | cold | homes $304,115 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 36 | Mankato, MN | 100 | $308,015 | cold | homes $308,015 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 37 | St. Cloud, MN | 100 | $311,652 | cold | homes $311,652 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 38 | Fairbanks, AK | 100 | $311,741 | cold | homes $311,741 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 39 | Racine, WI | 100 | $318,804 | cold | homes $318,804 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 40 | Eau Claire, WI | 100 | $323,584 | cold | homes $323,584 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 41 | Sheboygan, WI | 100 | $326,863 | cold | homes $326,863 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 42 | Fargo, ND | 100 | $328,573 | cold | homes $328,573 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 43 | Lewiston, ME | 100 | $329,731 | cold | homes $329,731 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 44 | La Crosse, WI | 100 | $336,488 | cold | homes $336,488 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 45 | Rochester, MN | 100 | $340,393 | cold | homes $340,393 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 46 | Sioux Falls, SD | 100 | $340,496 | cold | homes $340,496 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 47 | Great Falls, MT | 100 | $342,484 | cold | homes $342,484 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 48 | Green Bay, WI | 100 | $345,231 | cold | homes $345,231 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 49 | Appleton, WI | 100 | $349,275 | cold | homes $349,275 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 50 | Bismarck, ND | 100 | $356,800 | cold | homes $356,800 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 51 | Chicago, IL | 100 | $357,265 | cold | homes $357,265 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 52 | Grand Rapids, MI | 100 | $357,283 | cold | homes $357,283 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 53 | Rapid City, SD | 100 | $371,883 | cold | homes $371,883 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 54 | Milwaukee, WI | 100 | $388,845 | cold | homes $388,845 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 55 | Minneapolis, MN | 100 | $388,865 | cold | homes $388,865 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 56 | Billings, MT | 100 | $409,829 | cold | homes $409,829 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 57 | Ann Arbor, MI | 100 | $416,914 | cold | homes $416,914 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 58 | Traverse City, MI | 100 | $422,480 | cold | homes $422,480 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 59 | Anchorage, AK | 100 | $425,596 | cold | homes $425,596 — inside your $500,000 budget · cold climate |
| 60 | Madison, WI | 100 | $448,708 | cold | homes $448,708 — 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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