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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The difference between a comfortable retirement and a tight one often comes down to location. In Oklahoma — known for energy economy and persistently low costs, we evaluated 4 cities on healthcare costs, tax burden, and cost of living. Oklahoma is the top pick for 2026.
The difference between a comfortable retirement and a tight one often comes down to location. In Oklahoma — known for energy economy and persistently low costs, we evaluated 4 cities on healthcare costs, tax burden, and cost of living. Oklahoma is the top pick for 2026.
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.
Retirement affordability is about protecting fixed income. Our model weights healthcare costs at 25 points (medical bills are the #1 financial risk in retirement), cost index at 25 points, and state tax burden at 15 points (taxes directly reduce pension and Social Security income). Oklahoma leads with low healthcare costs, a 4.75% state tax rate, and a cost index of 89 — make of that what you will — . Tulsa offers competitive healthcare and cost metrics.
Keep reading — the next section adds critical context. Across Oklahoma, the average cost of living index is 93 — 19 points below the national median. Known for energy economy and persistently low costs, the state offers 4 tracked cities with median rents averaging $1,356/month. That's $539 less than the national average of $1,895. That's a number worth sharing with anyone who says affordable cities can't have good jobs.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
#1 Ranked: Oklahoma — cost index 89, rent $1,255/mo, income $66,702
Retiree-weighted scoring: healthcare index 92, state tax 4.75%, cost index 89 — protecting fixed retirement income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
702,767 residents · Oklahoma
In plain English: 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 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — 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.
411,894 residents · Oklahoma
What does daily life actually cost in Tulsa? Start with the 25% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Housing (index 73) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 92) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $58,407 and homes at $212,757 round out a profile that ranks #2 for clear reasons.
130,046 residents · Oklahoma
A closer look at Norman: the cost index of 92 breaks down to a Housing index of 81 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 95 (weakest). Median rent is $1,289/month — 32% below the national median — while household income sits at $65,060, meaning locals spend about 24% of income on rent. Fairly typical for a city this size. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
119,194 residents · Oklahoma
What does daily life actually cost in Broken Arrow? Start with the 24% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Utilities (index 92) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 103) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $85,220 and homes at $283,474 round out a profile that ranks #4 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 retirees. 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 retirees 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.