When choosing where to buy a home or rent, you may be looking for a place that offers “the good life.” What does that mean? For most it means low crime rates, peaceful community spaces, great schools and accessible transportation. These are all factors that go into a city’s livability score. But, strangely, many very expensive places have middling to low livability scores. So, essentially, you’re paying a ton to dwell somewhere that lacks in those “good life” traits.
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In a new study, GOBankingRates analyzed cities with low livability indexes to find the places where a single person will have trouble affording the cost of living. These are the 10 places where you’ll struggle the most — without the perks associated with a high livability score.
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Key Findings
All 10 of the cities are in California.
The most livable city on this list is Norco, with a livability score of 54/100.
The annual cost of living in Malibu is $283,696, yet the city has a livability score of 53/100.
10. Castaic, California
Household median income: $92,374
Average single-family home value: $830,547
Total cost of living annually: $75,856
Livability score: 52
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9. Whittier, California
Household median income: $88,354
Average single-family home value: $906,430
Total cost of living annually: $79,910
Livability score: 52
8. Santa Ana, California
Household median income: $88,354
Average single-family home value: $906,430
Total cost of living annually: $79,910
Livability score: 51
7. Fallbrook, California
Household median income: $87,293
Average single-family home value: $895,612
Total cost of living annually: $80,048
Livability score: 42
6. Norco, California
Household median income: $125,117
Average single-family home value: $896,950
Total cost of living annually: $80,521
Livability score: 54
5. Valley Center, California
Household median income: $116,620
Average single-family home value: $945,731
Total cost of living annually: $83,919
Livability score: 51
4. Rowland Heights, California
Household median income: $85,202
Average single-family home value: $987,931
Total cost of living annually: $86,696
Livability score: 48
3. Monrovia, California
Household median income: $97,083
Average single-family home value: $1,013,359
Total cost of living annually: $88,811
Livability score: 53
2. Rancho Mirage, California
Household median income: $109,943
Average single-family home value: $1,069,931
Total cost of living annually: $91,915
Livability score: 49
1. Malibu, California
Household median income: $192,159
Average single-family home value: $3,741,445
Total cost of living annually: $283,696
Livability score: 53
Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed cities with low livability indexes to find the places where a single person will have trouble affording the cost of living. Using the livability indexes sourced from AreaVibes, cities with a livability index of 55 or below were selected for this study, representing cities with a low quality of life. Cities had to have at least 10,000 people in order to qualify for this study. For each location a number of factors were found including total population, population ages 65 and over, total households and household median income all sourced from the U. .Census American Community Survey. The cost of living indexes were sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces and include the grocery, healthcare, housing, utilities, transportation and miscellaneous cost of living indexes. Using the cost of living indexes and the national average expenditure costs for a household with a single person, as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey for consumer units with one person, the average expenditure cost for each location can be calculated. The average single-family home value was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index for April 2025. Using the average single-family home value, assuming a 10% down payment, and using the most recent national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate, as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data, the average mortgage can be calculated. Using the average mortgage and average expenditure costs, the average total monthly and annual cost of living can be calculated. The cities were sorted to show the highest cost of living for a single person. All data was collected on and is up to date as of May 2, 2025.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 10 Least Livable Towns Where Your Single-Income Paycheck Doesn’t Go Far
