DECATUR, Ill (WAND)- Decatur was ranked No. 3 among the top 10 most affordable small cities to buy a home in the US in 2021, according to an AdvisorSmith study. 

 "They can get much more home for their money living in these communities," said Chris Harrison, broker at Main Place Real Estate in Decatur. To calculate these numbers, AdvisorSmith used Zillow and US Census Bureau numbers to average out median income to median home prices.  

"That's allowed people to realize, 'I don't need to be living in a city like LA where homes cost a million dollars, my money can stretch a lot farther to places like the East, South Midwest,'" said Brenda Franco, PR specialist at AdvisorSmith. And because the landscape of 2021 shows so many more people working from home, this may be the best choice for people's wallets.

"With the pandemic, people are realizing they can work anywhere...[they] can work [their] tech job [in Silicon Valley] and save up for an affordable house", Franco said. And in Decatur, local real estate offices have seen this.

"We are seeing a lot of people move to the community from the west coast," said Chris Harrison at Main Place Real Estate. He also said people in bigger cities in Illinois have been opting to move back closer to family where it is cheaper to live and buy a home, which frees up extra money. 

"By moving to communities that have lower factors...they can certainly spend more money on other parts of their life," Harrison said. 

To review the results of the study and for more information, click here. Â