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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices in Hawaii — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. Frisco (index 118, rent $1,751/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 285 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026.
225,007 residents · Texas
Dive into Frisco's numbers: cost index 118 (6 points above national average), rent $1,751/month, income $146,158, and a home price of $653,858. And for many people, the city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 108, while Housing runs 145. With 225,007 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
150,245 residents · Illinois
Why Naperville ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 122 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 10% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $2,157/month while the median household pulls in $150,937/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 112, though Housing (154) lags behind. Home prices average $594,498 — $127,128 above the national median. One to watch.
108,515 residents · Texas
The #3 spot goes to Sugar Land, and the breakdown explains why. And as a general rule, renters here pay $1,990/month — costing renters $1,140 more per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 103, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 130. At a 17% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
111,620 residents · Texas
A closer look at Allen: the cost index of 109 breaks down to a Utilities index of 100 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 122 (weakest). Median rent is $1,634/month — 14% below the national median — while household income sits at $129,130, meaning locals spend about 15% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard (that's pre-tax, of course).
116,320 residents · Texas
Dive into League's numbers: cost index 105 (7 points below national average), rent $1,764/month, income $119,870, and a home price of $368,400. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 97, while Housing runs 113. With 116,320 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
#1 Ranked: Frisco — cost index 118, rent $1,751/mo, income $146,158
176 of 285 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
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices in Hawaii — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. Frisco (index 118, rent $1,751/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 285 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026.
What does daily life actually cost in Frisco? Start with the 14% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. And on balance, on the category level, Utilities (index 108) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 145) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $146,158 and homes at $653,858 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
It's a strong position — but not without footnotes. Across Hawaii, the average cost of living index is 135 — 23 points above the national median. Known for the most isolated and expensive housing market in the US, the state offers 1 tracked cities with median rents averaging $2,548/month. That's $653 more than the national average of $1,895. Year over year, that savings rate is portfolio-grade.
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.
We pull all cities outside Hawaii and rank them by value ratio (income ÷ cost index). Cities offering lower costs or higher income than Hawaii's averages surface first. Population and rent data provide additional context. 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.
Frisco ranks #1 in Hawaii 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 #285) 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.
Hawaii 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.