4. Columbus, Ohio
This Ohio city was named the best place in the nation to raise a family by Businessweek in 2009 and it’s not hard to see why. The state capitol has a cost of living that’s 8 percent below the national average, and it’s also about 14 percent below the average for housing (one-bedroom apartments go for about $650-850, according to Rent.com). Full-time civilian wages in the Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe area come out at $22.31/hour, just under the national mean.
