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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Single-income living requires cities where one paycheck covers everything. We scored 286 cities on rent, cost of living, and population. Oklahoma ($1,255/mo, 702,767 residents) ranks #1 (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
#1 Ranked: Oklahoma, OK — cost index 89, rent $1,255/mo, income $66,702
Singles scoring: rent $1,255/mo (solo housing), cost index 89, population 702,767 — livability on one income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Single-income living requires cities where one paycheck covers everything. We scored 286 cities on rent, cost of living, and population. Oklahoma ($1,255/mo, 702,767 residents) ranks #1 (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
Single-income living means absorbing 100% of housing costs. Our model weights rent under $1,300 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — (20pts), cost of living (15pts), and city population (10pts) — because a social scene matters when you're on your own. Oklahoma at $1,255/mo in a city of 702,767 hits the right balance. Memphis offers cheaper rent as a runner-up.
A closer look at Oklahoma: the cost index of 89 breaks down to a Housing index of 73 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 92 (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.
Bottom line: Oklahoma, OK 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.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OklahomaOK | 89 | $1,255 | Details |
| 2 | MemphisTN | 86 | $1,234 | Details |
| 3 | TulsaOK | 89 | $1,207 | Details |
| 4 | WichitaKS | 87 | $1,125 | Details |
| 5 | LincolnNE | 94 | $1,293 | Details |
| 6 | Fort WayneIN | 90 | $1,160 | Details |
| 7 | ToledoOH | 83 | $1,060 | Details |
| 8 | Des MoinesIA | 88 | $1,141 | Details |
| 9 | Sioux FallsSD | 95 | $1,265 | Details |
| 10 | Little RockAR | 89 | $1,171 | Details |
| 11 | AmarilloTX | 89 | $1,245 | Details |
| 12 | AkronOH | 84 | $1,134 | Details |
| 13 | MobileAL | 89 | $1,264 | Details |
| 14 | ShreveportLA | 85 | $1,170 | Details |
| 15 | KilleenTX | 90 | $1,280 | Details |
| 16 | MaconGA | 87 | $1,207 | Details |
| 17 | McallenTX | 91 | $1,272 | Details |
| 18 | RockfordIL | 86 | $1,151 | Details |
| 19 | JacksonMS | 84 | $1,283 | Details |
| 20 | Cedar RapidsIA | 88 | $1,158 | Details |
| 21 | DaytonOH | 85 | $1,186 | Details |
| 22 | FargoND | 92 | $1,096 | Details |
| 23 | NormanOK | 92 | $1,289 | Details |
| 24 | TopekaKS | 87 | $1,169 | Details |
| 25 | LafayetteLA | 90 | $1,279 | Details |
702,767 residents · Oklahoma
Oklahoma earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 89 cost index sits 23 points below the national baseline, and the $66,702 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $203,329 — $264,041 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 73, while Healthcare trails at 92 (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
618,639 residents · Tennessee
Why Memphis ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 86 on the cost index, residents save roughly 26% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,234/month while the median household pulls in $51,211/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 66, though Healthcare (89) lags behind. Home prices average $142,870 — $324,500 below the national median.
411,894 residents · Oklahoma
Dive into Tulsa's numbers: cost index 89 (23 points below national average), rent $1,207/month, income $58,407, and a home price of $212,757. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 73, while Healthcare runs 92. With 411,894 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
396,119 residents · Kansas
Wichita earns its position at #4 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 87 cost index sits 25 points below the national baseline, and the $63,072 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $198,074 — $269,296 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 68, while Healthcare trails at 90.
294,757 residents · Nebraska
What does daily life actually cost in Lincoln? Start with the 22% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Housing (index 84) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 96) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $69,991 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — and homes at $285,359 round out a profile that ranks #5 for clear reasons.
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to singles. 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.
Oklahoma scores highest for singles due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,255/mo, and competitive median income of $66,702.
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.
Oklahoma (ranked #1) has a cost index of 89 and rent of $1,255/mo, while Centennial (ranked #286) has a cost index of 122 and rent of $2,056/mo — a 33-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 Oklahoma is $1,255/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $640 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Oklahoma is $203,329, which is 3.0× the local median income. That's within the standard 3.5× affordability rule for most local earners. 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.