“You don’t to walk out your door and go into a world that’s abrasive and wants to judge you.” “LGBTQ folks want an equitable experience,” says Ryan Weyandt, CEO of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance. Safety and an accepting community are two of the most important considerations of gay home buyers, according to a report last month by Freddie Mac and the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance, an organization of real estate professionals.

All of them have good housing stock, plenty of things to do, and prices that are still (relatively) within reach. What we found were mostly smaller cities with thriving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer cultures, and college towns that have strong anti-discriminatory laws. That’s why the ® data team sought out the nation’s most affordable gay meccas. And with home prices rising just about everywhere, it’s more important than ever to find places that are not only gay-friendly but also budget-friendly.

While big cities like San Francisco and New York have been long-renowned for their thriving gay scenes, they’re also notoriously expensive places to buy a home.