10 of the best American cities to live comfortably on $40,000 a year

Much of America's charm is predicated on small-town life. It's community oriented, nostalgic, and generally more affordable than living in a big city.

In its October/November print issue, AARP The Magazine highlights 10 great hometowns for anyone on a modest budget of $40,000 per year. (Check out the shorter online version here).

To create the list, the magazine partnered with Sperling's Best Places, which focuses on quality of life research, to determine a livability index, factoring in metrics on housing affordability, access to work and recreation, transportation, healthcare, and safety. Each city on the list has a score above the average livability index score of 50.

Read on to check out 10 US cities where life is robust and affordable.