Ask HN: What's the best place in the U.S. to live and work cheaply?

I think some of us are interested in this discussion in the other thread, but that's about working locations outside the U.S.

Where would people choose to live cheaply and work on their own projects inside the country?

For example, I noticed someone here promoting an incubator in Myrtle Beach recently, and it appears that one could rent a townhouse there for < $1k.

From my own perspective the usual problem with this is the lack of other interests, amenities, and a dating pool. (Admittedly those things can be distractions, but those are distractions I'd like to have, from a QoL perspective.)