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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
No second income to fall back on. Our model scored 1 cities in District of Columbia on solo-living metrics. Washington leads at index 125 with rent of $2,406/mo.
No second income to fall back on. Our model scored 1 cities in District of Columbia on solo-living metrics. Washington leads at index 125 with rent of $2,406/mo.
A closer look at Washington: the cost index of 125 breaks down to a Utilities index of 115 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 162 (weakest). Median rent is $2,406/month — 27% above the national median — while household income sits at $106,287, meaning locals spend about 27% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
#1 Ranked: Washington — cost index 125, rent $2,406/mo, income $106,287
Singles scoring: rent $2,406/mo (solo housing), cost index 125, population 678,972 — livability on one income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 125 | $2,406 | Details |
678,972 residents · District of Columbia
Here's Washington by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 125. Rent: $2,406/month. Income: $106,287/year. Home price: $574,016. Population: 678,972. The strongest category is Utilities at 115; the most expensive is Housing at 162. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $6,132 more per year vs. the national median. At this level, the city practically pays for your move.
Washington ranks #1 in District of Columbia for this analysis with a cost index of 125 and median income of $106,287.
Washington scores highest for singles due to its strong income potential, median rent of $2,406/mo, and above-average median income of $106,287.
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.
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 Washington is $2,406/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $511 above the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Washington is $574,016, which is 5.4× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. The national median home price is $467,370.
District of Columbia has a 10.75% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 6%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.56%.
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.