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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Frisco breaks the usual trade-off between income and cost of living. Most affordable cities pay less — but Frisco delivers a median household income of $146,158 — worth pausing on — (82% above the national median) while keeping costs 9 points below national average. It lines up with what you'd expe…
#1 Ranked: Frisco — cost index 102, rent $1,751/mo, income $146,158
Frisco: high income, low cost — a rare combo
171 of 283 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 breaks the usual trade-off between income and cost of living. Most affordable cities pay less — but Frisco delivers a median household income of $146,158 — worth pausing on — (82% above the national median) while keeping costs 9 points below national average. It lines up with what you'd expect. That's a rare combination shared by only 40 of the 288 cities we track. Not even close to the national average.
A closer look at Frisco: the cost index of 102 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — breaks down to a Healthcare index of 100 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 102 (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.
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. 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: 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.
What you won't find on most comparison sites: Across New Mexico, the average cost of living index is 90 — 21 points below the national median. And depending on your situation, known for desert affordability with lower incomes, the state offers 3 tracked cities with median rents averaging $1,550/month. That's $345 less than the national average of $1,895. From a pure purchasing-power standpoint, this is elite.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. And most of the time, 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 double-checked this one).
225,007 residents · Texas
The #1 spot goes to Frisco, and the breakdown explains why. There's not much to say about that beyond the obvious. Renters here pay $1,751/month — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — — saving renters $1,728 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Healthcare is the standout at index 100, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 102. At a 14% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
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.
180,010 residents · North Carolina
No sugarcoating: Dive into Cary's numbers: cost index 96 — and that's before you even look at taxes — (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.
213,509 residents · Texas
Dive into Mckinney's numbers: cost index 98 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — (13 points below national average), rent $1,675/month, income $120,273, and a home price of $483,340. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 98, while Healthcare runs 100. With 213,509 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
150,245 residents · Illinois
Why Naperville ranks #5: the numbers tell a clear story. At 126 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 15% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $2,157/month — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — while the median household pulls in $150,937/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 105, though Housing (126) lags behind. Home prices average $594,498 — $127,128 above the national median.
Frisco ranks #1 in New Mexico 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 #283) 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.
New Mexico 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.