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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The 30% rule — spending no more than 30% of gross income on housing — is the most widely cited benchmark for affordability. And depending on your situation, on a $30K salary, 0 cities (0%) meet this threshold. That's a tough market. We ran the numbers on 4 cities in Utah using 2026 census, rent, and…
| Rank | City | Median Rent | Rent % of Gross | Cost Index | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Provo | $1,448 | 58% | 105 | Details |
| 2 | West Valley | $1,560 | 62% | 106 | Details |
| 3 | Salt Lake | $1,592 | 64% | 111 | Details |
| 4 | West Jordan | $1,651 | 66% | 112 | Details |
#1 Ranked: Provo — cost index 105, rent $1,448/mo, income $62,800
0 of 4 cities keep rent under 30% of $30K
0 of 4 cities keep rent under 30% of $30K gross income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
The 30% rule — spending no more than 30% of gross income on housing — is the most widely cited benchmark for affordability. And depending on your situation, on a $30K salary, 0 cities (0%) meet this threshold. That's a tough market. We ran the numbers on 4 cities in Utah using 2026 census, rent, and salary data. Provo comes out on top — here's the full ranking and analysis. Not even close to the national average.
Full transparency here: at $1,448/month for rent and a cost index of 105, Provo is pretty much what you'd expect from a mid-size city in this part of the country. Income is $62,800. That tracks.
This looks affordable — until you factor in housing. In Provo, the housing index sits at 113 — above average and worth factoring in (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling). No gimmicks — just good numbers.
Look, this is the kind of insight that only shows up in the data: 0 of 4 cities keep rent under 30% of $30K. The 30% rule — spending no more than 30% of gross income on housing — is the most widely cited benchmark for affordability. Not the most exciting stat, but it matters. On a $30K salary, 0 cities (0%) meet this threshold. That's a tough market. That's a number worth sharing with anyone who says affordable cities can't have good jobs (that's pre-tax, of course). Quietly competitive.
Look, Bottom line: Provo 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. It lines up with what you'd expect. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling). Hard to argue with that.
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Provo | 4.55% | 7.21% | 0.52% | $22,972 |
2West Valley | 4.55% | 7.21% | 0.52% | $22,972 |
3Salt Lake | 4.55% | 7.21% | 0.52% | $22,972 |
4West Jordan | 4.55% | 7.21% | 0.52% | $22,972 |
The 30% rule — spending no more than 30% of gross income on housing — is the most widely cited benchmark for affordability. On a $30K salary, 0 cities (0%) meet this threshold. That's a tough market.
Rent in #1-ranked Provo has increased from $1,407 to $1,448/mo over the past 12 months — a 3% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time.
113,343 residents · Utah
Real talk: Here's Provo by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 105. Rent: $1,448/month. Income: $62,800/year. Home price: $478,858. Population: 113,343. The strongest category is Utilities at 97; the most expensive is Housing at 113. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $5,364 per year vs. the national median. That alone makes it worth considering. This is the type of edge you don't see advertised.
134,470 residents · Utah
So, West Valley. Fairly typical for a city this size. Cost index of 106 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — , rent at $1,560/month. It's lower than the national average. Median income is $88,604, which is above average. Fairly typical for a city this size.
209,593 residents · Utah
Here's Salt Lake by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 111. Rent: $1,592/month. Income: $74,925/year. Home price: $565,484. Population: 209,593. The strongest category is Utilities at 102; the most expensive is Housing at 128. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $3,636 per year vs. the national median. Run the numbers annually, and it's like getting a bonus you didn't negotiate. Not flashy. Just effective.
114,908 residents · Utah
The numbers for West Jordan are straightforward: 112 on the cost index, $1,651/month rent, $103,960 income. And from what we can tell, nothing too surprising there. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. That's more or less in line with the region. Not even close to the national average.
We calculate what percentage of a $30K gross salary goes to median rent. Cities where rent consumes less of your paycheck rank higher. We also factor in estimated take-home pay after federal taxes, FICA (7.65%), and state income tax. 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.
Provo ranks #1 in Utah for this analysis with a cost index of 105 and median income of $62,800.
Yes. On a $30K salary in Provo, rent would consume about 58% of your gross monthly income. Financial experts recommend keeping rent under 30%. It's tight — consider a roommate or nearby suburb.
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.
Provo (ranked #1) has a cost index of 105 and rent of $1,448/mo, while West Jordan (ranked #4) has a cost index of 112 and rent of $1,651/mo — a 7-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 Provo is $1,448/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $447 below the national median of $1,895/month.
After federal taxes, FICA (7.65%), and 4.55% state income tax, estimated take-home on $30K in Provo is approximately $22,972/year ($1,914/month). After median rent of $1,448/month, you'd have roughly $5,596/year for all other expenses.
The median home price in Provo is $478,858, which is 7.6× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. The national median home price is $467,370.
Utah has a 4.55% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.21%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.52%.
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.