Iowa has the lowest housing costs. That earned it a top 20 spot for best states to live.

Moving is a stressful process without the daunting decision of where to move.
Your decision on where to relocate may just have gotten a little easier. WalletHub just released its 2024 report on the best states to live in.
Factoring in the cost of living, quality of education and safety, WalletHub compared all 50 states to determine which one is the ideal place to live in the United States.
Iowa is ranked as the 12th best place to live in the country, beating out Minnesota and Maine, which came in 13th and 14th respectively. Iowa did drop one spot from its 2023 11th-place ranking. It's also a slightly lower rating than the sixth-place ranking U.S. News & World Report gave the state in its list earlier this year.
What are WalletHub's Top 10 states to live in?
- Massachusetts
- Florida
- New Jersey
- Utah
- New Hampshire
- Idaho
- Pennsylvania
- Wisconsin
- New York
- Wyoming
What states have the lowest housing costs, according to WalletHub?
Even though Iowa did drop slightly from 2023 in its overall score, it still holds the title for the most affordable housing, placing first two years in a row, according to WalletHub.
Here are the top five states with the lowest housing costs:
- Iowa
- South Dakota
- North Dakota
- Kansas
- Ohio
How did Iowa score in each category?
- Affordability: Iowa scored 21st.
- Economy: Iowa scored 32nd.
- Education and health: Iowa scored 15th.
- Quality of life: Iowa scored 16th.
- Safety: Iowa scored 12th.
Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.