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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices in New Hampshire — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. Frisco (index 118 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — , rent $1,751/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 285 cities to find where your money goe…
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices in New Hampshire — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. Frisco (index 118 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — , 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.
At $1,751/month for rent and a cost index of 118, Frisco is pretty much what you'd expect from a mid-size city in this part of the country. Income is $146,158. That tracks.
And here's the trade-off: The 1 cities we track in New Hampshire paint a surprisingly balanced picture. Average cost index: 111. Median rent: $1,976/month. Household income: $77,415. New Hampshire is known for no income tax in a traditionally expensive region — and the data backs that reputation convincingly (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
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.
#1 Ranked: Frisco — cost index 118, rent $1,751/mo, income $146,158
175 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
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 (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
150,245 residents · Illinois
Here's Naperville by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 122. Rent: $2,157/month. Income: $150,937/year. Home price: $594,498. Population: 150,245. The strongest category is Utilities at 112; the most expensive is Housing at 154. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $3,144 more per year vs. the national median. That's a spread that makes moving costs look trivial.
108,515 residents · Texas
A closer look at Sugar Land: the cost index of 112 breaks down to a Utilities index of 103 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 130 (weakest). Median rent is $1,990/month — 5% above the national median — while household income sits at $137,511, meaning locals spend about 17% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
111,620 residents · Texas
The #4 spot goes to Allen, and the breakdown explains why. And as far as the data shows, take it or leave it — the data is what it is. Renters here pay $1,634/month — we had to double-check this one — — 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 (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
116,320 residents · Texas
The #5 spot goes to League, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,764/month — for better or worse — — saving renters $1,572 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 97, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 113. At a 18% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
We pull all cities outside New Hampshire and rank them by value ratio (income ÷ cost index). Cities offering lower costs or higher income than New Hampshire'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 New Hampshire 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.
New Hampshire 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.