Last updated 2026-06-15 ยท MovePlan Editorial Team
Well below the national average, an affordable Ohio city with very cheap rent.
Cost of living index (US avg = 100): 88
Median 2BR rent: $1,000/mo
Housing: 74 vs 100
Groceries: 95 vs 100
Utilities: 104 vs 100
Transportation: 95 vs 100
Healthcare: 95 vs 100
Akron offers a low cost of living, a tire-and-polymer industrial heritage, and proximity to Cleveland. Very affordable housing is the headline, with snowy winters the main seasonal trade-off.