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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Frisco: high income, low cost — a rare combo. Frisco earns above the national median ($146,158 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 102 vs 111). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 40 of 288 cities share it.
225,007 residents · Texas
Dive into Frisco's numbers: cost index 102 (9 points below 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 — Healthcare is the cheapest category at 100, while Housing runs 102. With 225,007 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
111,620 residents · Texas
Why Allen ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 95 on the cost index, residents save roughly 16% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,634/month while the median household pulls in $129,130/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 95, though Healthcare (99) lags behind. Home prices average $497,016 — $29,646 above the national median. One to watch.
180,010 residents · North Carolina
The #3 spot goes to Cary, and the breakdown explains why. And as a general rule, renters here pay $1,649/month — saving renters $2,952 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 96, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 99. At a 15% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
213,509 residents · Texas
A closer look at Mckinney: the cost index of 98 breaks down to a Housing index of 98 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 100 (weakest). Median rent is $1,675/month — 12% below the national median — while household income sits at $120,273, meaning locals spend about 17% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard (that's pre-tax, of course).
150,245 residents · Illinois
Dive into Naperville's numbers: cost index 126 (15 points above national average), rent $2,157/month, income $150,937, and a home price of $594,498. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Healthcare is the cheapest category at 105, while Housing runs 126. With 150,245 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
#1 Ranked: Frisco — cost index 102, rent $1,751/mo, income $146,158
Frisco: high income, low cost — a rare combo
173 of 285 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
Frisco: high income, low cost — a rare combo. Frisco earns above the national median ($146,158 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 102 vs 111). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 40 of 288 cities share it.
High income and low costs rarely coexist — but Frisco pulls it off. And on balance, at $146,158 median household income and a 102 cost index, residents enjoy purchasing power that 98% exceeds the national average. We found this pattern across 285 cities in Hawaii using 2026 data.
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. On the category level, Healthcare (index 100) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 102) 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 149 — 38 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.
Frisco earns above the national median ($146,158 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 102 vs 111). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 40 of 288 cities share it.
Rent ranges from $1,751/mo in Frisco to $2,964/mo in Miami — a monthly difference of $1,213, or $14,556 per year.
Frisco (index 102) and Miami (index 173) sit 71 points apart on the cost index — proof that Hawaii is far from monolithic in affordability.
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 102 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 102 and rent of $1,751/mo, while Miami (ranked #285) has a cost index of 173 and rent of $2,964/mo — a 71-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.