Midwest ranking

Cheapest cities in North Dakota

4 North Dakota cities ranked by cost of living, cheapest first.

Cities ranked: 4
Cheapest: Grand Forks
Most expensive: Bismarck
Index range: 78–87

All North Dakota cities, ranked

Sorted by cost-of-living index — lowest (most affordable) first.

#	City	Cost index	Median rent	Median income	Population
1	Grand Forks	78	$927/mo	$59,079	59K	Compare →
2	Minot	79	$937/mo	$75,545	48K	Compare →
3	Fargo	86	$900/mo	$64,432	127K	Compare →
4	Bismarck	87	$969/mo	$76,014	74K	Compare →

Why move to North Dakota?

Why do people move to North Dakota? The most common reasons line up with what the data and geography support: affordable across the board, there's a genuinely cheap city to fall back on, plus 2 more. The rest is below.

Affordable across the board

Averaging across the North Dakota cities we track, the composite cost-of-living index lands at about 83 — roughly 17% under the US baseline. That's not a quirk of one or two outlier towns; it shows up across most of the state. Average median rent across North Dakota cities runs about $933/mo.

There's a genuinely cheap city to fall back on

The cheapest city in North Dakota we have data for is Grand Forks, sitting at a cost-of-living index of 78 — about 22% under the US average. If affordability is the priority, North Dakota gives you a real option, not a "well, this town is technically here" caveat.

Four real seasons, including winter

North Dakota has the full four-season rotation, with winters that are cold enough to matter — meaning real snow, real ski resorts, and a culture that's built around it instead of pretending it isn't happening. If winter is a thing you actively like, this is the side of the country to be on.

Space, in a way most of the country doesn't have

North Dakota is one of the least densely populated states in the country, which sounds abstract until you've driven through it. Empty highways, big skies, no traffic, and the kind of nature-to-people ratio you can't really replicate by moving to the suburbs of a bigger metro.

Reasons reflect aggregated city data for North Dakota (Census ACS, BLS, BEA) plus well-known state-level geography. We only list points that are actually supported — different states show different sections.

What the numbers say

Across North Dakota, Grand Forks is the most affordable city we track (cost index 78, with median rent around $927/mo), while Bismarck sits at the top of the range with an index of 87—roughly 12% pricier than Grand Forks. Use the table above to compare any North Dakota city directly against Grand Forks.