depends.....
are you looking for 1/2 acre with a 3000 sq ft 5-bed/2 bath house, or a small 650 sq ft 2-bed / 1-batch "cottage" on a 1500 sq foot yard
do you want 2 seasons, 3 seasons or 4 seasons
do you want to deal with snow? hurricanes? tropical storms? tornadoes?
daily tides or simply seasonal water level changes
fresh water or salt water?
large body of water, or a small body of water?
large amount of boat traffic or sporadic boat traffic
more rural, or closer to urban environments?
you get used to the heat...... or the cold, so that should be less of a consideration than the season or weather question
"Bugs" are everywhere. in the midwest you have bay flies and may flies that hatch and you need a shovel to move them. in Florida you have love bugs twice a year and other insects year round. the Florida state bird is the mosquito (Its also the state bird for most every other state). North of FL you have Chiggers. In more of the woodsy areas you have ticks and other insects.
plenty of on-the-water living in the mid west in 2500-3000 sq ft houses with decent plots on lakes between 150 acres and 23000 acres that are a good deal under your budget, however you must deal with 4 seasons
if you want 3 seasons, consider some of the lakes in TN or KY.
if you want 2 seasons, consider FL, TX, or Michigan's UP.
there are entire canal neighborhoods populated with 2500-3000 sq ft houses on 1/3 acre properties with access to the gulf in the Ft Meyers / Cape Coral area of Florida. that is water access to the gulf without high cost or taxes
I would avoid areas of GA, as the summer heat can get into the 110-115 range and the humidity is so much higher than Florida
I would avoid the area between the panhandle and the greater tampa area because boating sucks unless you like large tide swings and going claming.