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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
High income and low costs rarely coexist — but Frisco pulls it off. At $146,158 median household income and a 102 cost index, residents enjoy purchasing power that 98% exceeds the national average. We found this pattern across 285 cities in North Dakota using 2026 data.
#1 Ranked: Frisco — cost index 102, rent $1,751/mo, income $146,158
Frisco: high income, low cost — a rare combo
172 of 285 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
High income and low costs rarely coexist — but Frisco pulls it off. At $146,158 median household income and a 102 cost index, residents enjoy purchasing power that 98% exceeds the national average. We found this pattern across 285 cities in North Dakota using 2026 data.
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.
What does daily life actually cost in Frisco? Start with the 14% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Healthcare (index 100) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 102) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $146,158 and homes at $653,858 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
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.
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 North Dakota is far from monolithic in affordability.
225,007 residents · Texas
The #1 spot goes to Frisco, and the breakdown explains why. And depending on your situation, 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
The #2 spot goes to Allen, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,634/month — for better or worse — — saving renters $3,132 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 95, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 99. At a 15% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
180,010 residents · North Carolina
A closer look at Cary: the cost index of 96 breaks down to a Housing index of 96 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 99 (weakest). Median rent is $1,649/month — 13% below the national median — while household income sits at $129,399, meaning locals spend about 15% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
213,509 residents · Texas
Mckinney earns its position at #4 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 98 cost index sits 13 points below the national baseline, and the $120,273 median income means purchasing power here is genuinely above average. Homes list at $483,340 — $15,970 above the national median, reflecting the local market dynamics. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 98, while Healthcare trails at 100.
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.
Frisco ranks #1 in North Dakota 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 #285) 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 Dakota 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.