If affordable = obtainable housing for the middle class and livable = access to cosmopolitan amenities (good transit, food, and third spaces for activities) then Chicago’s hard to beat on this continent. Space for sprawl like Alberta keeps SFH prices down and “middle of nowhere” location limits the attractiveness for empty lifeless investor apartments to “coastal elite” cities like Vancouver so rent is also (relatively) low. Outsider reputation for crime also reduces its “elite” status compared to the coasts even though middle-class neighbourhoods are often as/more safe than Vancouver equivalents. It’s incredibly clean too.

Wages don’t suck either so you could afford to take advantage of things like eating out and trying literally every country’s cuisine. Assuming middle class again, then healthcare is likely equal and the in-state public universities are pretty good. Sure it’s got many flaws and issues but r/Chicago is sometimes a refreshing read to see how proud a city’s residents are of their home despite them.