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12. Tennessee

Tennessee scores so high on our list for a couple of different reasons. For starters, the cost of living is pretty cheap, as 12% below the nation's average. In addition, despite the state having some pretty large cities in Nashville and Memphis, real estate is still pretty affordable in most places. If you're looking for smaller cities, then Chattanooga regularly scores pretty high on lists involving the best places to live.

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Tennessee has around 7.1 million people, of whom 1.2 million are 65 or older. However, sales tax is a bit high at 7.1%, but other taxes tend to be pretty low. The state also has surprisingly affordable healthcare.