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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. And on balance, 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 on…
Frisco breaks the usual trade-off between income and cost of living. And on balance, 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.
Frisco earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. And on balance, 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. It lines up with what you'd expect. 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.
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 102, rent $1,751/mo, income $146,158
Frisco: high income, low cost — a rare combo
164 of 277 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
225,007 residents · Texas
The #1 spot goes to Frisco, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,751/month — 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
Here's Allen by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 95. Rent: $1,634/month. Income: $129,130/year. Home price: $497,016. Population: 111,620. The strongest category is Housing at 95; the most expensive is Healthcare at 99. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $3,132 per year vs. the national median. For anyone running the numbers, this is where it clicks.
213,509 residents · Texas
Real talk: What does daily life actually cost in Mckinney? Start with the 17% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Housing (index 98) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 100) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $120,273 and homes at $483,340 round out a profile that ranks #3 for clear reasons.
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 (though the trend is moving in the right direction).
108,515 residents · Texas
A closer look at Sugar Land: the cost index of 116 — for better or worse — breaks down to a Healthcare index of 103 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 116 (weakest). That's more or less in line with the region. 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 (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
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 North Carolina is far from monolithic in affordability.
Frisco ranks #1 in North Carolina 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 #277) 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.
North Carolina 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.