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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Remote workers have a superpower: location independence. Which cities let you keep the most of that salary? We scored 286 cities on cost of living, utility infrastructure, and income potential. Fort Worth leads at cost index 98 with a utilities index of 90.
Rent ranges from $1,554/mo in Fort Worth to $2,756/mo in Miami Gardens — a monthly difference of $1,202, or $14,424 per year.
5 of the 10 top-ranked cities are in the South. Low taxes and lower housing costs give Southern cities a structural edge.
The race is tight: Fort Worth, Omaha, Arlington, St Paul, Garland are all within 0 points of each other. At this level, differences in rent, taxes, or a single category can sway the decision.
Remote workers have a superpower: location independence. Which cities let you keep the most of that salary? We scored 286 cities on cost of living, utility infrastructure, and income potential. Fort Worth leads at cost index 98 with a utilities index of 90.
Here's Fort Worth by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 98. Rent: $1,554/month. Income: $76,602/year. Home price: $295,822. Population: 978,468. The strongest category is Utilities at 90; the most expensive is Healthcare at 101. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $4,092 per year vs. the national median. That's the kind of affordability that turns 'maybe someday' into 'next month.'
Bottom line: Fort Worth, TX 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.
#1 Ranked: Fort Worth, TX — cost index 98, rent $1,554/mo, income $76,602
$1,202/mo rent gap across the ranking
Remote-worker scoring: cost index 98, utilities index 90, income $76,602 — maximizing geographic arbitrage
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fort WorthTX | 98 | $1,554 | Details |
| 2 | OmahaNE | 96 | $1,403 | Details |
| 3 | ArlingtonTX | 98 | $1,462 | Details |
| 4 | St PaulMN | 97 | $1,485 | Details |
| 5 | GarlandTX | 98 | $1,563 | Details |
| 6 | HuntsvilleAL | 94 | $1,320 | Details |
| 7 | Sioux FallsSD | 95 | $1,265 | Details |
| 8 | JolietIL | 97 | $1,559 | Details |
| 9 | Sterling HeightsMI | 98 | $1,487 | Details |
| 10 | OdessaTX | 97 | $1,612 | Details |
| 11 | ConroeTX | 99 | $1,524 | Details |
| 12 | HoustonTX | 97 | $1,542 | Details |
| 13 | PhiladelphiaPA | 98 | $1,734 | Details |
| 14 | San AntonioTX | 93 | $1,361 | Details |
| 15 | DallasTX | 99 | $1,591 | Details |
| 16 | JacksonvilleFL | 98 | $1,576 | Details |
| 17 | IndianapolisIN | 92 | $1,356 | Details |
| 18 | OklahomaOK | 89 | $1,255 | Details |
| 19 | El PasoTX | 94 | $1,441 | Details |
| 20 | DetroitMI | 84 | $1,318 | Details |
| 21 | LouisvilleKY | 94 | $1,352 | Details |
| 22 | MemphisTN | 86 | $1,234 | Details |
| 23 | BaltimoreMD | 96 | $1,708 | Details |
| 24 | MilwaukeeWI | 92 | $1,398 | Details |
| 25 | AlbuquerqueNM | 99 | $1,457 | Details |
978,468 residents · Texas
Why Fort Worth ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 98 on the cost index, residents save roughly 14% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,554/month while the median household pulls in $76,602/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 90, though Healthcare (101) lags behind. Home prices average $295,822 — $171,548 below the national median.
483,335 residents · Nebraska
Omaha earns its position at #2 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 96 cost index sits 16 points below the national baseline, and the $72,708 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $288,850 — $178,520 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Utilities leads the way at 88, while Healthcare trails at 99.
398,431 residents · Texas
Why Arlington ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. At 98 on the cost index, residents save roughly 14% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,462/month while the median household pulls in $73,519/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 90, though Healthcare (100) lags behind. Home prices average $307,792 — $159,578 below the national median.
303,820 residents · Minnesota
Why St Paul ranks #4: the numbers tell a clear story. At 97 on the cost index, residents save roughly 15% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,485/month while the median household pulls in $73,055/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 89, though Healthcare (100) lags behind. Home prices average $289,137 — $178,233 below the national median.
243,470 residents · Texas
The #5 spot goes to Garland, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,563/month — saving renters $3,984 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 90, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 101. A 25% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to remote workers. Each factor contributes 10-25 points to a 0-100 composite score. Cities with the highest composite rank first. 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.
Fort Worth scores highest for remote workers due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,554/mo, and competitive median income of $76,602.
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.
Fort Worth (ranked #1) has a cost index of 98 and rent of $1,554/mo, while Miami Gardens (ranked #286) has a cost index of 125 and rent of $2,756/mo — a 27-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 Fort Worth is $1,554/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $341 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Fort Worth is $295,822, which is 3.9× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
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.