St. Cloud ranks among the top four affordable cities to live in the Midwest for the second quarter of 2015.

President of St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce Teresa Bohnen says the cost of living index is gathered by the Council for Community and Economic Research.

The index compares consumer goods and services without taking into account taxes. The report is based on more than 90,000 prices covering 60 different items. The main components of the index are housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care and other services.

St. Cloud stands as the most affordable city for housing with an index of 77.2 percent. Cost of transportation ranked third at 97 percent. However, health care costs and groceries came in at 115 and 110.7 percent respectively,  putting St. Cloud on the top of the rankings in those categories.

The cost of living index surveyed 271 urban areas.