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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Let's be honest: California isn't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Frisco proves it with a cost index of 118, the lowest in California, and we've ranked all 226 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscap…
#1 Ranked: Frisco — cost index 118, rent $1,751/mo, income $146,158
173 of 226 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Let's be honest: California isn't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Frisco proves it with a cost index of 118, the lowest in California, and we've ranked all 226 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscape.
Frisco comes in at #1. Rent is $1,751 a month. Household income is $146,158. The cost of living index is 118. That tracks.
Pair that with the housing data, and the pattern sharpens. That's more or less in line with the region. State context matters: California's 61 cities average a 140 cost index with $2,629/month median rent and $102,752 household income. Sky-high costs from the coast to the valley. The linked city profiles go deeper than this ranking ever could.
Bottom line: Frisco 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 (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling). The definition of value.
225,007 residents · Texas
Here's Frisco by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 118. Rent: $1,751/month. Income: $146,158/year. Home price: $653,858. Population: 225,007. The strongest category is Utilities at 108; the most expensive is Housing at 145. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $1,728 per year vs. the national median. The data here speaks for itself.
150,245 residents · Illinois
A closer look at Naperville: the cost index of 122 breaks down to a Utilities index of 112 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 154 (weakest). Median rent is $2,157/month — 14% above the national median — while household income sits at $150,937, meaning locals spend about 17% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
108,515 residents · Texas
Here's Sugar Land by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 112. Rent: $1,990/month — we had to double-check this one — . Income: $137,511/year. Home price: $440,419. Population: 108,515. The strongest category is Utilities at 103; the most expensive is Housing at 130. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $1,140 more per year vs. the national median. The practical impact: more room for childcare, savings, or just breathing room (that's pre-tax, of course).
111,620 residents · Texas
Allen earns its position at #4 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 109 cost index sits 3 points below the national baseline, and the $129,130 median income means purchasing power here is genuinely above average. Homes list at $497,016 — $29,646 above the national median, reflecting the local market dynamics. On the cost side, Utilities leads the way at 100, while Housing trails at 122.
116,320 residents · Texas
What does daily life actually cost in League? Start with the 18% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Utilities (index 97) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 113) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $119,870 and homes at $368,400 round out a profile that ranks #5 for clear reasons.
Frisco ranks #1 in California for this analysis with a cost index of 118 and median income of $146,158.
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.
Frisco (ranked #1) has a cost index of 118 and rent of $1,751/mo, while Mesquite (ranked #226) has a cost index of 94 and rent of $1,397/mo — a 24-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 Frisco is $1,751/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $144 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Frisco is $653,858, which is 4.5× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
California has a 0% state income tax rate — one of the states with no income tax. Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.19%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.6%.
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.