Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Frisco earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 102 cost index sits 9 points below the national baseline, and the $146,158 median income means purchasing power here is genuinely above average. Homes list at $653,858 — $186,488 above the national median, reflecting…
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 roughly speaking, 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
Real talk: Why Allen ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. Standard stuff, really. 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.
180,010 residents · North Carolina
No sugarcoating: Dive into Cary's numbers: cost index 96 (15 points below national average), rent $1,649/month, income $129,399, and a home price of $620,401. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 96, while Healthcare runs 99. With 180,010 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
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.
150,245 residents · Illinois
Here's Naperville by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 126. Rent: $2,157/month. Income: $150,937/year. Home price: $594,498. Population: 150,245. The strongest category is Healthcare at 105; the most expensive is Housing at 126. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $3,144 more per year vs. the national median. Over a five-year window, that difference is life-changing.
#1 Ranked: Frisco — cost index 102, rent $1,751/mo, income $146,158
Frisco: high income, low cost — a rare combo
171 of 284 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 earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 102 cost index sits 9 points below the national baseline, and the $146,158 median income means purchasing power here is genuinely above average. Homes list at $653,858 — $186,488 above the national median, reflecting the local market dynamics. On the cost side, Healthcare leads the way at 100, while Housing trails at 102.
The ranking uses a composite of 2026 data from Census Bureau population/income surveys, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary benchmarks, and Tax Foundation tax rates. And with some exceptions, frisco (index 102, rent $1,751); Allen (index 95, rent $1,634); Cary (index 96, rent $1,649). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
Frisco breaks the usual trade-off between income and cost of living. Not the most exciting stat, but it matters. Most affordable cities pay less — but Frisco delivers a median household income of $146,158 (82% above the national median) while keeping costs 9 points below national average. That's a rare combination shared by only 40 of the 288 cities we track.
Still, the overall picture holds: Minnesota — Twin Cities prosperity, outstate thrift. The 2 cities we track here average a cost index of 92 and median income of $76,662. It's a clear buyer's market compared to national norms. The typical rent runs $1,562/month, which is $333 less than the national median (that's pre-tax, of course).
Spoiler: the cheapest option isn't always the smartest option. Frisco: high income, low cost — a rare combo. Frisco earns above the national median ($146,158 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 102 vs 111). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 40 of 288 cities share it. That's more or less in line with the region. That kind of value just doesn't show up in expensive metros.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours.
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 Minnesota is far from monolithic in affordability.
We pull all cities outside Minnesota and rank them by value ratio (income ÷ cost index). Cities offering lower costs or higher income than Minnesota'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 Minnesota 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 #284) 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.
Minnesota 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.