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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The way we see it, Premium market, smart picks: while Missouri trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Frisco at index 118 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving Missouri.
#1 Ranked: Frisco — cost index 118, rent $1,751/mo, income $146,158
172 of 282 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
The way we see it, Premium market, smart picks: while Missouri trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Frisco at index 118 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving Missouri.
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 as far as the data shows, frisco (index 118, rent $1,751); Naperville (index 122, rent $2,157); Sugar Land (index 112, rent $1,990). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
The numbers for Frisco are straightforward: 118 on the cost index, $1,751/month rent, $146,158 income. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. About what you'd guess.
It checks most boxes — but the housing costs are the asterisk. In Frisco, the housing index sits at 145 — above average and worth factoring in.
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.
225,007 residents · Texas
A closer look at Frisco: the cost index of 118 breaks down to a Utilities index of 108 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 145 (weakest). Median rent is $1,751/month — 8% below the national median — while household income sits at $146,158, meaning locals spend about 14% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
150,245 residents · Illinois
Dive into Naperville's numbers: cost index 122 (10 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 — Utilities is the cheapest category at 112, while Housing runs 154. With 150,245 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs. Below the radar, but not for long.
108,515 residents · Texas
The #3 spot goes to Sugar Land, and the breakdown explains why. 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
Straight up: the #4 spot goes to Allen, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,634/month — saving renters $3,132 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 100, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 122. At a 15% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
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 (that's pre-tax, of course).
We pull all cities outside Missouri and rank them by value ratio (income ÷ cost index). Cities offering lower costs or higher income than Missouri'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 Missouri 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 #282) 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.
Missouri 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.