One Of The Cheapest Regions To Live In America Is Actually Made Up Of 5 Different Cities

While "Quad Cities" may sound like four, it really covers five river towns in two states where you're banned from buying a car on Sunday. Davenport and Bettendorf are in Iowa while Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline are in Illinois. Back in the early 1900s, Davenport, Rock Island, and Moline billed themselves as the "Tri-Cities." East Moline earned full billing in the early 1960s, so locals started saying "Quad Cities." The label stuck even after Bettendorf's population boom in the 1970s made the math a little fuzzy.

Even though the Mississippi River splits the Quad Cities between Iowa and Illinois, life moves like it's one big community. Five bridges link the towns into a shared job market, with local news, radio, and businesses serving the whole region. Moline is home to John Deere's world headquarters, which employs around 6,700 people. Nearby, the Rock Island Arsenal adds another 6,300 jobs in defense manufacturing. In fact, the Quad Cities is one of the most affordable metro areas in the United States, and they reside in states that do not tax retirement income.

Davenport, biggest of the Quad Cities, lies in one of the cheapest states to buy a house. As of July 2025, Zillow lists the typical house value at $186,838, about half the national median of $368,581. BestPlaces puts the cost-of-living index at 82.9, which means everyday expenses are about 17% below the U.S. average. Property taxes also stay modest with the median Scott County bill at $1,814 yearly, or 1.35% of home value. This combo lets first-time buyers pick up a three bedroom with a garage for what some coastal renters pay each year. Speaking of rent, HUD's 2025 fair market rate for a two bedroom is $1,025, but BestPlaces' July 2025 data shows most places can go for $900 a month.

Utility bills keep costs down. According to Numbeo, electricity, heating, cooling, water, and garbage for an 915-square-foot apartment is $175 monthly (due to Iowa's cheaper power rates). Paychecks also buy more in Davenport because wages hold steady while costs stay low. The area's median household income is $71,925 (per Data USA), just a bit below the national average. Even everyday expenses are cheaper: The 2024 Bureau of Economic Analysis puts the overall price index at 89.3. This means if an item costs $100 nationwide, it would be $89 in Davenport. Besides, big employers, such as Genesis Health System with its roughly 5,200 workers, support jobs in healthcare, technology, and administration.

Buying a home in Bettendorf is within reach. Zillow puts the average home value at $323,161 as of mid-2025, even after a small 1.4% increase this year. With Iowa's property tax rate around 1.35%, that means homeowners typically pay about $4,400 a year in property taxes. This is below what buyers face in more expensive coastal areas. BestPlaces gives Bettendorf a cost-of-living score of 82.9, showing that everyday expenses run about 17% cheaper than the national average.

Renting in Bettendorf means keeping more money in your pocket. HUD's 2025 fair market rent puts the cap for a two bedroom at $1,025, but BestPlaces shows most local listings closer to $1,010. Groceries are about 5% cheaper than the national average (according to Payscale) and utility costs are slightly lower than the U.S. norm. In April 2025, households paid about 13.4 cents per kilowatt-hour while the national average was 17.5 cents (via the U.S. Energy Information Administration for Iowa). That's 23% cheaper, saving the average family $35 a month on electricity.

Bettendorf might have the highest home prices in the Quad Cities, but it also brings in bigger paychecks. The 2019 to 2023 U.S. Census puts the city's median household income at $102,917, giving families more spending room, especially with cheaper groceries and housing costs. Plus, strong public schools make it ideal for families: Via Niche, Pleasant Valley and Bettendorf Community School rank 1st and 37th, respectively, among the 303 school districts in Iowa.

Rock Island makes buying a home feel like a clearance deal: As of July 2025, Zillow puts the typical house at $132,102. BestPlaces gives the area a cost-of-living score of 75.7, which is around 24.3% below the national average (mostly due to low housing prices). Even with Illinois' higher property tax rate of about 2.86% (via Ownwell), the yearly tax on a $140,000 home comes out to around $4,000 — still less than a single month's rent in some big coastal cities.

Renters come out ahead, too. BestPlaces shows most two bedrooms in Rock Island renting for around $880, while the 2025 HUD Fair Market Rent cap sits at $1,025. Utility bills stay reasonable as well: In April 2025, Illinois households paid about 18.32 cents per kilowatt-hour (via the U.S. Energy Information Administration). Even with that, Rock Islanders still spend well under $1,000 a month when you combine rent and electricity. Living cheap doesn't mean living dull; Augustana College's 2,500-student campus keeps things lively with concerts, lectures, and D-III sports all year. The riverfront adds even more, hosting free Thursday Night Groove shows and budget-friendly events such as the Impostors Music Festival at Schwiebert Park.

Moline's home prices stay in the budget-friendly range. As of July 2025, Zillow puts the typical house at $150,647, about $218,000 less than what homes go for in much of the country. BestPlaces gives Moline a cost-of-living score of 75.7, meaning life here runs around 24% cheaper than average. Illinois' property tax is 2.86% (via Ownwell), so the yearly bill on a house would typically be about $4,300.

To rent, BestPlaces says a typical two bedroom goes for about $930. That's well below HUD's metro-wide cap of $1,025, which some landlords don't even come close to charging. Utility costs don't throw things off either; Illinois power rates hover near 18.32 cents per kilowatt-hour, just slightly above the national average of 17.45 cents. All in, most renters here stay comfortably under $1,100 a month for both rent and electricity.

Daily life in Moline brings more than just low prices; it comes with extras that don't feel like a splurge. Deere & Company's headquarters keeps many paychecks in the $60,000 to $100,000 range, pushing the city's median household income to around $63,959 (as seen on DataUSA in 2023). Even with that income, entertainment stays budget-friendly: Concert tickets at Vibrant Arena start at just $29.75 and even the best seats stay under $170. That means a night out and a monthly mortgage can both fit in the same paycheck without stretching things thin.

East Moline is where homebuyers find the biggest steals in the Quad Cities. Zillow's July 2025 update puts the average home value at $150,935, but BestPlaces, drawing from more budget-friendly bungalow sales, estimates the median closer to $119,500. That kind of pricing pulls the city's overall cost-of-living index down to 75.7, about 24% cheaper than the national average. It's the most affordable location in the metro, with the entire neighborhood housing cost still under the $100,000 mark.

Renters in East Moline also get more for less. BestPlaces lists average two-bedroom prices around $870, a big drop from the $1,430 national average. Even HUD's 2025 fair market cap of $1,025 leaves most local rents well below the limit. Power bills stay manageable too; Illinois households paid 18.32 cents per kilowatt-hour in April 2025 (per U.S. EIA), just slightly above the 17.45 cents U.S. average. That's $1 extra on a $100 bill, hardly a deal-breaker when rent stays under $900.

East Moline paychecks go a long way: The U.S. Census Reporter states a median household income of around $63,300 from 2019 to 2023, meaning a typical $150,876 home costs just about 2.38 times the average family's yearly income, an affordable range. Jobs are holding steady, too: in May 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed the Davenport–Moline–Rock Island metro had a 4.4% unemployment rate, slightly above the national average of 4.2%.