WRT housing prices, one thing you can do on realtor.com (and probably on other platforms as well) is "build" your desired house (for example, 3br/2ba, 1750 - 2750 sq ft, 2+ car garage, single story, lot size 1+ acre for under $350,000) and then use the "map" tool to show listings that match all of that. You can then scroll around the country and see what your "sample" house would cost in various areas.

Obviously, housing price is just ONE of MANY considerations, but it can be a good way to focus your search.

After all, if you can't even afford to live in a specific place, it doesn't really help that it has a low crime rate or good schools.