Travelers who want to get the most bang for their buck should keep Ohio on their radar. It’s home to four of the 25 most affordable cities in America, as ranked by Visual Capitalist in 2025. One of these is Cleveland, which was also named the most budget-friendly big city in America, and many of Ohio’s smaller cities are even more affordable than the major urban areas that are highlighted on the Visual Capitalist list.
Ohio isn’t just cheap to visit, either. There’s a lot more to see and do in the state than most people realize, especially for folks who are interested in the arts. Across the Buckeye State, you’ll find over 1,200 museums, including world-class (and free) institutions like the Butler Institute of American Art and the Cleveland Museum of Art.
There are also hundreds of festivals across the state every year, like the Cinema Columbus Film Festival (voted No. 1 in 2025 by USA Today) and the Columbus Arts Festival (No. 2 on USA Today’s 2025 Readers’ Choice awards list). There are an equally impressive number of music venues, theaters, and galleries across Ohio, and they’re not all in big cities like Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland. If you’re looking for artsy destinations that won’t break the bank, these five Ohio cities are all worth a visit.
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Youngstown
Interior of the Butler Institute of American Art – @kentksmith / Instagram
Youngstown tops the list for cheap Ohio cities. Its average monthly cost of living is just $2,937 for a family of four, 25.6% cheaper than the average across the United States, and it was ranked the second most affordable city in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report in 2023 (via CNBC). Eating out here is equally affordable, with the average cost of lunch coming in under $10 and dinner for two averaging around $36. Given this, it’s no surprise that the city has been named one of the most affordable places in the Midwest to retire, and it’s an equally appealing destination for cost-conscious travelers.
Something else that helps visitors stretch their travel budget in Youngstown is that many of its top attractions are free. This includes the Butler Institute of American Art, which became the first museum solely dedicated to the work of American artists when it opened in 1919. There’s no charge to view its extensive collection of over 20,000 works or attend events like the Film on Art series. The McDonough Museum of Art, across the street from the Butler, is also free for the public and regularly exhibits work from student artists at Youngstown State University.
There are excellent venues for music and theater in Youngstown, as well. The DeYor Performing Arts Center is home to the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra and a great spot to catch a stage show or concert from a touring act. For more stage productions, head to the Youngstown Playhouse, one of America’s oldest ongoing community theaters, or the historic Stambaugh Auditorium, whose near-perfect acoustics draw performers from around the world.
Toledo
Toledo Museum of Art with a red sculpture out front on a sunny day – Susan Montgomery/Shutterstock
The Toledo Museum of Art was voted No. 1 Best Art Museum for 2025 in USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Awards, the latest in a string of accolades for this world-renowned institution. Established in 1901, the museum’s 37-acre campus houses over 30,000 works of art and, like Youngstown’s Butler Institute, is completely free and open to the public. Art lovers will also find several independent galleries to peruse in Toledo, with the highest concentration in downtown’s Warehouse District. This is where you’ll find 20 North Gallery, Toledo’s oldest independent art gallery, which features traditional and contemporary work from local artists. The nearby Huron Street Studios is a gallery and workspace for pottery and glassblowing, while the Toledo School for the Arts operates The Portal, a gallery and performance venue where you can see everything from live theater to poetry readings to rock bands.
There are other spots to enjoy the performing arts in downtown Toledo, too. The Collingwood Arts Center occupies a historic mansion in the Old West End neighborhood and has three theaters along with over 80 artist studios. For stage shows, you can check the upcoming schedule of The Village Players Theater or Historic Ohio Theater. For music, there are countless venues in the Toledo area, ranging from intimate bars to the University of Toledo’s Glass Bowl Stadium, which hosts the Glass City Live concert series in the spring. Come summer, Toledo hosts the Crosby Festival of the Arts, the oldest outdoor juried art show in Ohio, and the Glass City JazzFest, a free music festival along the riverfront. And you can enjoy all of this in a city with a cost of living 22.6% below the national average, which is among the 25 most affordable U.S. cities.
Akron
Downtown Akron, with the skyline in the background and a brick building and a colorful mural – Dee Liu/Getty Images
Akron is an under-the-radar, affordable escape known for its outdoor recreation, close to the stunning waterfalls of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Art lovers will find plenty to do here, too. Visit in July to check out the free Akron Art Expo, a multi-day event featuring over 100 juried artists along with live music, and the Taste of Akron showcase of local restaurants and food trucks. In August, the Highland Square neighborhood hosts the PorchROKR music and art festival, and early September brings the tunes downtown for the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival. Lovers of literature can visit in early March for the Akron Book Fest, or attend the Akron Antiquarian Book and Paper Show in early April.
Whatever time of year you visit, the Akron Art Museum is a must-visit for creative travelers. Its gallery of contemporary art is free to visit on Thursdays, and it regularly puts on free events like Drop-In Open Studio sessions and maker festivals. You can also catch a show at one of Akron’s many renowned venues. The Rialto Theatre is a favorite for both local and touring acts, along with events like slam poetry and jam sessions, while Jilly’s Music Room has live music four nights a week, and Akron Civic Theatre puts on a variety of entertainment, from concerts to stage shows to stand-up comedy. Akron’s jazz scene is especially vibrant, and the city was once considered the punk capital of the Midwest, so you can hear a wide variety of music while you’re in the city. In the summer, the Blossom Music Center amphitheater lets visitors enjoy concerts surrounded by the beauty of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, or you can hear free music outdoors at the various venues featured in the Summer Concert Series.
Warren
Mural in Dave Grohl Alley, with 3 colorful portraits of Dave Grohl on a brick wall – Daniel L. Locke/Shutterstock
Warren is a city of about 39,000 people built along the Mahoning River in Trumbull County, about 15 miles upriver from Youngstown. And, like Youngstown, Warren has a classic Rust Belt backstory. A one-time hub for steel production whose economy and population went into a steep decline in the 1970s. The Trumbull Art Gallery (TAG) started when Warren was still in its heyday, founded in 1957. Along with a gallery of rotating exhibits, TAG puts on events like the long-running Random Acts of Artists (RAA) Annual juried exhibition and offers classes that are open to the public. You can also see work from local artists at smaller galleries like Art on Park, or check out Warren’s street art in Dave Grohl Alley, a stretch of murals dedicated to the Foo Fighters frontman. One of Warren’s newest attractions for artists is the Medici Museum of Art, which was first founded in 1992 but only became publicly accessible in 2019. Visitors can tour the museum for free or check out its upcoming calendar of workshops and fun events, such as the Art Museum Scavenger Hunt.
The performing arts scene in Warren is active, as well. It’s anchored by venues like Robins Theater and W.D. Packard Music Hall, where you can see everything from touring rock bands and comedians to performances from the Warren Philharmonic or W.D. Packard Concert Band. In the summer, a similar mix of entertainment graces the stage at the Warren Community Amphitheater (known to locals as The Amp). While shows aren’t free, they’re super affordable at $10 to $12, depending on the show. Warren, in general, is a very affordable place to visit or live, with a cost of living that’s 25.2% lower than the national average.
Steubenville
Dean Martin mural painted on a tan brick wall in Steubenville, Ohio – @Ricky_Roma / Instagram
Steubenville is the smallest city on this list, with a population of just under 18,000 people. As the seat of Jefferson County, it serves as a cultural hub for the surrounding small towns. In terms of affordability, Steubenville even edges out Youngstown, with a cost of living 25.8% below the U.S. average.
Steubenville is best known to visitors for the frontier reenactments at historic Fort Steuben, but it also has a creative side. It’s called the City of Murals for its 24 massive works that are scattered throughout town, each depicting some aspect of Steubenville’s history or identity. If you want to take your art appreciation indoors, downtown’s Spyridon Studios sells handcrafted ceramics and pottery and offers all-ages workshops for folks who want to make their own. You can also head about 7 miles across the border into West Virginia to the Summit Art Gallery in Weirton to see or buy work from local artists.
There’s music history to check out in Steubenville, too. Famous crooner Dean Martin was born in Steubenville, and there are plaques around town marking spots connected to the star’s life (and, of course, a Dean Martin mural). Every June, the town throws a three-day Dean Martin Festival with tribute performances and fun activities like karaoke and a meatball-eating contest. Music lovers can enjoy free concerts on Thursdays in the summer with the Fort Steuben Concert Series, while movie buffs can visit in November for the Steubenville International Film Festival. On top of that, Steubenville is only 14 miles from the Pavilion at Star Lake, the largest outdoor amphitheater in Pennsylvania, meaning you can see big-name acts and national touring festivals while you’re in town.
Methodology
Artist painting in downtown Youngstown, Ohio – @RauschenbachArt / Instagram
The first step to building this list was assessing which Ohio cities are the most affordable. This started with LivingCost.org’s current cost of living estimates for 89 Ohio cities, combined with information from Houzeo’s list of the 10 Cheapest Places to Live in Ohio and the availability of budget-friendly accommodations (under $100 per night).
The next step was to evaluate the art scene in Ohio’s most affordable cities. This was determined by comparing the cities’ creative infrastructure and the presence of attractions such as museums, galleries, public art displays, live music and theater venues, recurring festivals, and colleges, universities, or community organizations that offer arts workshops or studio space. For the final step, the information from both of these lists was combined to determine the top five most affordable and artsy cities.
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Read the original article on Islands.