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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Veterans' benefits — pension, VA disability, GI Bill — stretch farther in some cities. We ranked 4 cities in Oklahoma on cost, state tax burden, and healthcare. Oklahoma leads with index 89 and 4.75% state tax (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
Veterans' benefits — pension, VA disability, GI Bill — stretch farther in some cities. We ranked 4 cities in Oklahoma on cost, state tax burden, and healthcare. Oklahoma leads with index 89 and 4.75% state tax (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
Veterans have unique financial considerations: pension, VA disability, GI Bill benefits all interact with local costs and taxes. Our model weights cost of living (20pts), state tax burden (20pts), and healthcare costs (15pts) for supplemental care beyond VA. Oklahoma scores highest with a 89 cost index and 4.75% state tax (more on that below).
Oklahoma comes in at #1. Rent is $1,255 a month. Household income is $66,702. The cost of living index is 89. That alone makes it worth considering.
If you only look at rent, it's perfect. And with some exceptions, zoom out and it's complicated. In Oklahoma, the healthcare index sits at 92 — not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing about.
Bottom line: Oklahoma leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. And with some exceptions, 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: Oklahoma — cost index 89, rent $1,255/mo, income $66,702
Veteran scoring: cost index 89, state tax 4.75%, healthcare index 92 — preserving earned benefits
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
702,767 residents · Oklahoma
Why Oklahoma ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. Fairly typical for a city this size. At 89 on the cost index, residents save roughly 23% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,255/month — we had to double-check this one — while the median household pulls in $66,702/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 73, though Healthcare (92) lags behind. Home prices average $203,329 — $264,041 below the national median (your mileage may vary — literally).
411,894 residents · Oklahoma
Why Tulsa ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 89 on the cost index, residents save roughly 23% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,207/month while the median household pulls in $58,407/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 73, though Healthcare (92) lags behind. Home prices average $212,757 — $254,613 below the national median (that's pre-tax, of course).
130,046 residents · Oklahoma
Here's Norman by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 92. Rent: $1,289/month. Income: $65,060/year. Home price: $257,977. Population: 130,046. The strongest category is Housing at 81; the most expensive is Healthcare at 95. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $7,272 per year vs. the national median. For freelancers and gig workers with variable income, this cushion is everything (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
119,194 residents · Oklahoma
Here's Broken Arrow by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). And for many people, moving on. Cost index: 100. Rent: $1,671/month — we had to double-check this one — . Income: $85,220/year. Home price: $283,474. Population: 119,194. The strongest category is Utilities at 92; the most expensive is Healthcare at 103. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,688 per year vs. the national median. That's not a marginal difference — it reshapes your monthly budget.
Oklahoma ranks #1 in Oklahoma for this analysis with a cost index of 89 and median income of $66,702.
Oklahoma scores highest for military veterans 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.