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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Dollar for dollar, few states match Oklahoma's value. And for the typical household, 4 out of 4 cities undercut the national cost index of 111. Leading the pack: Tulsa at index 70, where median rent of $1,207/month saves renters $8,256/year versus the national median.
411,894 residents · Oklahoma
The #1 spot goes to Tulsa, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,207/month — saving renters $8,256 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 70, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 94. A 25% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
702,767 residents · Oklahoma
A closer look at Oklahoma: the cost index of 73 breaks down to a Housing index of 73 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 95 (weakest). Median rent is $1,255/month — 34% below the national median — while household income sits at $66,702, meaning locals spend about 23% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
130,046 residents · Oklahoma
The #3 spot goes to Norman, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,289/month — saving renters $7,272 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 75, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 95. At a 24% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
119,194 residents · Oklahoma
Here's Broken Arrow by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 98. Rent: $1,671/month. Income: $85,220/year. Home price: $283,474. Population: 119,194. The strongest category is Housing at 98; the most expensive is Healthcare at 100. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,688 per year vs. the national median. If two cities have the same income, this cost gap is the tiebreaker.
#1 Ranked: Tulsa — cost index 70, rent $1,207/mo, income $58,407
4 of 4 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Dollar for dollar, few states match Oklahoma's value. And for the typical household, 4 out of 4 cities undercut the national cost index of 111. Leading the pack: Tulsa at index 70, where median rent of $1,207/month saves renters $8,256/year versus the national median.
Tulsa is one of the cheaper options here. Rent is $1,207/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 70. Income sits at $58,407. About what you'd guess.
Rent data is sourced from Zillow's Observed Rent Index (ZORI), which tracks the median rent across all active listings — not just new leases. This gives a more representative and stable signal than asking prices alone. Tulsa: $1,207/mo, Oklahoma: $1,255/mo, Norman: $1,289/mo. The cheapest city here is $688 under the national median — that's $8,256/year in savings on rent alone.
That's the upside. Here's the tension: Here's the state-level backdrop: Oklahoma averages a 79 cost index, $1,356/mo rent, and $68,847 income across 4 cities. That's $539 less than the national rent average. Energy economy and persistently low costs — and that context shapes every city in this ranking.
Bottom line: Tulsa leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
Cities are ranked by median 1-bedroom rent in ascending order using Zillow's Observed Rent Index (ZORI). We include all tracked cities in Oklahoma with verified rent data, giving you a complete picture of the rental landscape from cheapest to most expensive. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Tulsa ranks #1 in Oklahoma for this analysis with a cost index of 70 and median income of $58,407.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Tulsa (ranked #1) has a cost index of 70 and rent of $1,207/mo, while Broken Arrow (ranked #4) has a cost index of 98 and rent of $1,671/mo — a 28-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Tulsa is $1,207/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $688 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Tulsa is $212,757, which is 3.6× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
Oklahoma has a 4.75% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.97%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.82%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.