The Cheapest Cities for Fashion

Christa Fletcher

8.28.2019 Communities

While that may be true, clothes can be expensive. If you’d like to live in a place where you can afford to dress the way you want without having to worry about expensive price tags, we’ve found the most affordable cities to do just that.

Determining the cheapest cities for fashion

While some of America’s largest cities are known for pricier clothes, haircuts and other beauty treatments, we highlight the top 10 cities with the least expensive salons, dry cleaning costs and clothing prices.

We took cost-of-living data and ranked 256 cities on affordability for these, with 1 being the most affordable and 256 being the most expensive.

Here are the 10 most affordable cities to dress to impress.

10. Lynchburg, VA

Lynchburg is nestled among the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It has seven shopping malls where you can find affordable clothing, restaurants and, in some cases, a movie theater.

This affordable city is also full of culture with four universities, museums, the symphony and outdoor leisure activities. Plus, the lush landscapes of Lynchburg make a great backdrop for date nights or other events to get dressed up.

With an average one-bedroom rent coming in at $837 a month, you’ll have plenty left over for new clothes.

9. Springfield, MO

There’s a wealth of eclectic shops in Springfield for trendsetters looking to find unique clothing and artwork on the “C-Street Stroll,” or for those who want to check out antiques in Downtown Springfield.

It’s also home to Farmers Park, where you can find low-impact and long-term sustainable goods, and to the Battlefield Mall, which has dozens of retailers and a fun play area for kids.

Plus, the average one-bedroom rent is only $663 a month.

8. Waterloo, IA

If you’re looking to go out in the Arts and Entertainment District of Waterloo, there are two shopping malls to satisfy your style needs, the College Square Mall and Crossroads Mall.

Waterloo also has nearly 20 hair salons in town, so you’ll never have a hard time getting a hair appointment. Date night just got a whole lot easier and budget-friendly.

All of this will cost only $745 a month for an average-one bedroom apartment.

7. Martinsville, VA

There are about nine shopping centers in Martinsville, a city located on the southern border of Virginia. From the Mountainview Plaza Shopping Center to the newly redesigned Village of Martinsville, many locals appreciate the ample parking, variety of stores and low prices.

6. Tupelo, MS

As the birthplace of Elvis Presley and five-time winner of the “All-America City Award,” Tupelo has a bit of swagger and style unique to other cities.

This northeastern Mississippi city is home to eclectic small businesses that feature affordable places to shop and dine. It also has the Mall at Barnes Crossing, Factory Stores of America and several shopping centers.

You’ll spend an average of $967 a month for a one-bedroom apartment in Tupelo.

5. Danville, VA

Several shopping centers in Danville allow local residents to buy nice clothing, get affordable salon services, and even pick up their dry cleaning. And it’s a good thing, too.

This city has more churches per square mile than any other city in Virginia. As the “City of Churches,” for locals, there’s always an opportunity to get dressed in their Sunday best.

One-bedroom rentals in Danville can be found for as low as $465 a month.

4. Memphis, TN

There are four famous events in Memphis each year: the Beale Street Music Festival, International Week, Great River Run and The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. This diverse array of events shows the rich culture of the city and also exemplifies the unique tastes and styles of its residents.

With a population of more than 650,000 people, Memphis is the largest city on the Mississippi River and one of the most affordable places to shop and look your best. It also features several malls, including Oak Court Mall and Wolfchase Galleria.

Since it’s a larger city, rent is more expensive than most of the towns on this list. A one-bedroom apartment averages about $1,000 a month.

3. Surprise, AZ

As one of the fastest-growing cities in Arizona, Surprise is also one of the most inexpensive places to dress to impress, which is great for seniors who live in nearby Sun City, a retirement community. (Fixed incomes can often make it challenging for older Americans to buy clothes and head to the salon.)

Arrowhead Towne Center, Barnaby Street Shops and the Tangier Outlets are just a few of the many shopping options in Surprise. The city also has many great youth programs and recreation activities and it’s the spring training hub for the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers.

Surprise is one of the pricier cities on our list, with average one-bedroom rent coming in at $1,058 a month.

2. McAllen, TX

McAllen is a great place to look and feel great on a budget. It’s also fairly affordable with an average one-bedroom rent of $775 a month. McAllen provides several malls and dozens of hair salons from Palms Crossing and La Plaza Mall to DeSanchez Salon and Day Spa.

This city also has a relaxed environment where locals can get the latest trends and receive high-quality treatments like facials, haircuts and massages.

1. Harlingen, TX

Just up the road from McAllen, you’ll find one of the top 10 most economical places to live, according to CBS Money Watch. So, it should come as no surprise that Harlingen is the most affordable place to dress to impress.

With many hair salons, several boutiques and malls, like the Valle Vista Mall and Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets, there are numerous ways to find attractive attire and salons at a decent price.

You can rent a one-bedroom apartment in Harlingen for an average of $742 a month.

Dress to impress for less: Most affordable cities

States like Arkansas and Tennessee have the most affordable cities for fashion and beauty expenses, but there are many other cities with inexpensive prices. Whether you’re looking to pay less to dress or groom yourself, these cities have lower costs.

Rank	City/County State	Haircut Score	Beauty Salon Score	Dry Cleaning Score	Men’s Dress Shirt Score	Women’s Slacks Score	Dress to Impress Score
1	Harlingen TX	1	7	12	1	6	5.4
2	McAllen TX	2	33	1	6	3	9
3	Surprise AZ	60	15	2	15	9	20.2
4	Memphis TN	26	13	3	36	28	21.2
5	Danville City VA	40	6	5	13	58	24.4
6	Tupelo MS	86	20	11	25	26	33.6
7	Martinsville-Henry County VA	64	21	18	14	51	33.6
8	Waterloo-Cedar Falls IA	71	14	65	19	2	34.2
9	Springfield MO	55	43	14	48	25	37
10	Lynchburg VA	13	57	29	34	56	37.8
11	Thomasville-Lexington NC	11	44	20	49	71	39
12	Wichita Falls TX	8	23	33	5	138	41.4
13	Joplin MO	134	22	48	10	7	44.2
14	Dalton GA	41	55	16	22	88	44.4
15	Pittsburg KS	38	77	23	26	61	45
16	Fayetteville AR	123	66	21	8	13	46.2
17	Conway AR	35	11	24	61	102	46.6
18	Kalamazoo MI	91	1	143	2	1	47.6
19	Grand Forks ND	138	34	46	7	21	49.2
20	Seguin TX	44	145	50	4	5	49.6
21	Roanoke VA	32	52	49	18	98	49.8
22	Pierre SD	83	18	121	12	19	50.6
23	Rio Rancho NM	139	74	10	17	14	50.8
24	Jackson-Madison County TN	72	98	61	11	20	52.4
25	Twin Falls ID	28	31	56	80	85	56
26	Harrisonburg VA	6	80	81	96	53	63.2
27	Utica-Rome NY	9	12	185	82	33	64.2
28	Bullhead City AZ	20	49	172	60	24	65
29	Marshfield WI	65	2	188	54	22	66.2
30	Florence AL	22	60	67	77	108	66.8
31	Kennewick-Richland-Pasco WA	63	112	126	40	8	69.8
32	Des Moines IA	92	69	136	44	11	70.4
33	Elkhart-Goshen IN	42	56	138	37	79	70.4
34	Cookeville TN	49	9	167	27	100	70.4
35	Tampa FL	50	127	92	51	38	71.6
36	Burlington IA	16	3	233	79	31	72.4
37	Cedar City UT	102	4	110	90	59	73
38	Pryor Creek OK	23	38	66	70	177	74.8
39	Phoenix AZ	58	217	13	52	37	75.4
40	Oklahoma City OK	78	150	80	31	47	77.2
41	Ashland OH	19	78	111	89	95	78.4
42	Terre Haute IN	4	28	74	122	185	82.6
43	Monroe LA	162	67	120	23	46	83.6
44	Jonesboro AR	161	27	140	64	27	83.8
45	Yuma AZ	14	48	169	91	103	85
46	Pittsburgh PA	173	62	157	16	18	85.2
47	Rockford IL	81	72	94	126	54	85.4
48	Alexandria LA	5	24	155	194	50	85.6
49	Pueblo CO	107	94	60	104	63	85.6
50	Buffalo NY	114	101	158	41	16	86

Dress to the nine: Most expensive cities

Maybe it’s the proximity to New York City, but there’s something about Hartford. With the highest dress to impress score in the country, this city will have you dressed to the nines at the highest cost. Cities like Seattle, Boston, San Francisco and Honolulu are close contenders.

Rank	City/County State	Haircut Score	Beauty Salon Score	Dry Cleaning Score	Men’s Dress Shirt Score	Women’s Slacks Score	Dress to Impress Score
1	Hartford CT	253	216	255	251	252	245.4
2	Seattle WA	257	210	256	226	246	239
3	Boston MA	248	249	220	252	224	238.6
4	San Francisco CA	240	257	219	217	256	237.8
5	Honolulu HI	140	256	254	256	251	231.4
6	Stamford CT	252	242	177	255	228	230.8
7	New York (Brooklyn) NY	250	254	186	245	200	227
8	Portland OR	254	241	184	236	219	226.8
9	Portland ME	239	195	225	206	250	223
10	Mount Vernon-Skagit County WA	183	204	236	227	243	218.6

Methodology

Average prices for fashion come from the Council for Community and Economic Research‘s Q1 2019 Cost of Living report. We used the following specifications from the C2ER for our calculations:

Haircut: Men’s barbershop haircut, no styling
Beauty salon: Women’s shampoo, trim and blow-dry
Dry cleaning: Man’s two-piece suit
Men’s dress shirt: Cotton/polyester, pinpoint weave, long sleeves
Women’s slacks: At least 95% cotton, twill khakis, misses 4-14

We ranked each city and county in the C2ER report in terms of affordability for fashion, with the cheapest being 1 and the most expensive as 256. The cities with the lowest overall scores were determined to be the most affordable.

The rent information included in this article is based on August 2019 multifamily rental property inventory on Apartment Guide and Rent. and is used for illustrative purposes only. Cities without rental prices indicate insufficient rental data in our inventory. The data contained herein do not constitute financial advice or a pricing guarantee for any apartment.

Header Photo by Jeremy Beadle on Unsplash

Christa Fletcher is a professional writer living in Orange County, CA., who specializes in lifestyle, travel and technology content. She has worked for start-ups and large corporations, managing and creating digital content for consumers. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications including Marie Claire, Women eNews, Grow Wire and Fox Business. Fletcher is a graduate of New York University.