NEW YORK, NY — Some of the smallest places in the United States can still show surprisingly high home values, even when only one or two people live there. A MoneyLion roundup looked at six ultra-rural towns and settlements where population counts barely register and standard cost-of-living data is limited or unavailable.
Because these places are so remote, the piece relied on nearby housing data and listing sources such as Redfin, Realtor.com, Movers.com, and CommunityScale. It also used livability scores from AreaVibes to give a rough sense of how difficult or isolated day-to-day life may be in each spot.
Little Grass Valley and Bonanza show how high mountain living can get
Little Grass Valley, California, had a population of 2 and a median home value of $389,000, according to Redfin. AreaVibes gave it a livability score of 21 out of 100. The place was described as mountainous, ringed by lakes, and subject to snow-heavy winters.
Bonanza, Utah, had just 1 resident, but its median home value was listed at $694,000, the highest figure in the group. Its livability score was 25 out of 100. The area was characterized as desert-like, highly elevated, and close to a large coal-fired power plant.
Alaska and Arizona entries highlight how sparse housing can distort price data
Hobart Bay, Alaska, stood out because its median home value was listed at $0, which AreaVibes attributed to the absence of houses there. The settlement had a population of 1 and a livability score of 26 out of 100. Its setting was described as mountainous, coastal, and rich in wildlife.
Willow Canyon, Arizona, also had a population of 1, with a median home value of $300,000 from Realtor.com. AreaVibes put its livability score at 27 out of 100. The area was described as woodsy and rustic, with frequent heavy storms.
Monowi and Laurier sit on opposite ends of the value range
Monowi, Nebraska, was one of the more affordable entries, with an average home price of $145,000 from CommunityScale’s Housing Forecast. It had a population of 1 and a livability score of 45 out of 100, the highest in the group. The setting was described as desert-like, with expansive farmland and notable sunsets.
Laurier, Washington, had 1 resident and a median home value of $195,000 from Movers.com. AreaVibes gave it a livability score of 26 out of 100. The town was described as mountainous, wooded, and home to a large amount of wildlife.
Why these places are hard to compare with ordinary housing markets
The MoneyLion roundup emphasized that these locations are so isolated that conventional cost-of-living comparisons often do not work. In several cases, there may be almost no local housing market at all, which makes a single median or average figure less like a neighborhood benchmark and more like a snapshot of whatever data could be found nearby.
That also helps explain why the housing numbers can seem disconnected from livability scores. A place can be scenic and remote, but still score low because isolation, harsh weather, or a lack of infrastructure makes daily life difficult for most households.
What the rankings suggest about living far from everything
Across the six places, the livability scores ranged from 21 in Little Grass Valley to 45 in Monowi. Most of the towns sat in the 20s, underscoring how remote and limited these communities are compared with more typical U.S. markets.
The roundup’s larger point was that these are places people might think about more as wilderness outposts than ordinary towns. They may offer dramatic scenery, but they also come with the practical realities of being very far from services, neighbors, and the routines that shape most American housing decisions.
More on what homes, rents and new builds are doing near you, on RHS Commoner.
