The cheapest warm places to live in the US

Warm winters and low costs don't often go together, but they do overlap in parts of Texas, the Gulf Coast, Georgia, Florida and Arizona. We looked at every US place on Pinned with a January average of 10°C (50°F) or more and sorted them by our cost of living index, where 100 is the US average. All the figures here are approximate averages, useful for comparing places rather than budgeting to the dollar.

At the top of the list is Ocean Springs, Mississippi, a small, artsy Gulf Coast town with a cost of living around 88 and a January average near 11°C. San Antonio, Texas comes next at about 90. It gives you big-city amenities, a mild January around 11°C and no state income tax, which can make a real difference to your budget.

Close behind, around 95 to 98, are Jacksonville in Florida, Savannah in Georgia, Tucson in Arizona, Houston in Texas and New Orleans in Louisiana. Jacksonville has wide Atlantic beaches and no state income tax. Tucson is the sunniest of the group, with roughly 286 sunny days a year. New Orleans brings music and food to match its mild winters.

If you want proper warmth in January, Florida's Gulf Coast is worth a look. Tampa sits right around the national average with a January near 16°C, and Fort Myers is only a little higher with a January near 18°C. Neither Florida nor Texas has a state income tax, while Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arizona do.

A low cost index doesn't tell the whole story. Home insurance can be expensive in hurricane-exposed coastal areas, summers in Texas and Arizona are very hot, and air conditioning adds to your bills. Property taxes also vary a lot from state to state. Look at the full picture for each place on its page before you decide.

To see these places side by side, use the compare tool or the cost of living page. For a list ranked on warmth, sunshine and cost together, see the Snowbird Index, and browse all the warm-winter places and lower-cost places on Pinned.