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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
In plain English: the numbers are clear: 1 of 1 cities in North Dakota beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Fargo stands out at 64 on the index, with rent of $1,096/month and household income of $66,029. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
In plain English: the numbers are clear: 1 of 1 cities in North Dakota beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Fargo stands out at 64 on the index, with rent of $1,096/month and household income of $66,029. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
Here's Fargo by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 64. Rent: $1,096/month. Income: $66,029/year. Home price: $312,872. Population: 133,188. The strongest category is Housing at 64; the most expensive is Healthcare at 93. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $9,588 per year vs. the national median. At this level, the city practically pays for your move.
The 3.5× rule is a conservative benchmark: lenders often approve up to 4-5× income, but 3.5× keeps monthly payments safely under 28% of gross income at typical rates. On $60K, that means targeting homes under $210,000. Fargo offers a median home at $312,872 — a 5.2× ratio with room to spare.
Flip the lens, and you get a different read: North Dakota — oil-patch wages in a low-cost market. The 1 cities we track here average a cost index of 64 and median income of $66,029. It's a clear buyer's market compared to national norms. The typical rent runs $1,096/month, which is $799 less than the national median.
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: Fargo — cost index 64, rent $1,096/mo, income $66,029
1 of 1 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
133,188 residents · North Dakota
Real talk: the numbers for Fargo are straightforward: 64 on the cost index, $1,096/month rent, $66,029 income. And roughly speaking, not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. That tracks.
Fargo ranks #1 in North Dakota for this analysis with a cost index of 64 and median income of $66,029.
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 Fargo is $1,096/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $799 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Fargo is $312,872, which is 4.7× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
North Dakota has a 1.95% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.04%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.94%.
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.