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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
In plain English: Finding the right city for a family isn't just about cheap rent — it's about income, healthcare, schools, and room to grow. We scored 4 cities in Oklahoma on the metrics families care about, and Oklahoma comes out on top with a cost index of 89 — for better or worse — , median inco…
702,767 residents · Oklahoma
Oklahoma comes in at #1. And roughly speaking, rent is $1,255 — for better or worse — a month. Household income is $66,702. The cost of living index is 89. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is (that's pre-tax, of course).
130,046 residents · Oklahoma
What does daily life actually cost in Norman? Start with the 24% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Housing (index 81) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 95) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $65,060 and homes at $257,977 round out a profile that ranks #2 for clear reasons.
411,894 residents · Oklahoma
Tulsa earns its position at #3 through a combination that's hard to replicate. It lines up with what you'd expect. The 89 cost index sits 23 points below the national baseline, and the $58,407 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $212,757 — $254,613 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 73, while Healthcare trails at 92.
119,194 residents · Oklahoma
Broken Arrow is one of the cheaper options here. And from what we can tell, rent is $1,671/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 100. Income sits at $85,220. That's a reasonable number.
#1 Ranked: Oklahoma — cost index 89, rent $1,255/mo, income $66,702
Family-weighted scoring: income $66,702, healthcare index 92, population 702,767 — balancing career, care, and schools
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
In plain English: Finding the right city for a family isn't just about cheap rent — it's about income, healthcare, schools, and room to grow. We scored 4 cities in Oklahoma on the metrics families care about, and Oklahoma comes out on top with a cost index of 89 — for better or worse — , median income of $66,702, and a healthcare index of 92.
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 — for better or worse — 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.
(Tangentially — this is the kind of city where you can actually build equity on a median salary, which is increasingly rare.)
Real talk: Bottom line: Oklahoma 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.
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to families. 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 ranks #1 in Oklahoma for this analysis with a cost index of 89 and median income of $66,702.
Oklahoma scores highest for families 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 Broken Arrow (ranked #4) has a cost index of 100 and rent of $1,671/mo — a 11-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.
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.