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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
This is one of the closest races in our database: the top 5 cities are separated by just 3 points on the cost index. Naperville, Cary, Centennial, Olathe, Gilbert are all within striking distance. At this margin, secondary factors — taxes, rent trends, category-specific costs — become the tiebreaker…
150,245 residents · Illinois
Why Naperville ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 122 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 10% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $2,157/month while the median household pulls in $150,937/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 112, though Housing (154) lags behind. Home prices average $594,498 — $127,128 above the national median.
180,010 residents · North Carolina
Dive into Cary's numbers: cost index 115 (3 points above national average), rent $1,649/month, income $129,399, and a home price of $620,401. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 106, while Housing runs 137. With 180,010 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
106,883 residents · Colorado
Why Centennial ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. At 122 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 10% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $2,056/month while the median household pulls in $128,167/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 112, though Housing (155) lags behind. Home prices average $638,401 — $171,031 above the national median.
147,461 residents · Kansas
The #4 spot goes to Olathe, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,792/month — saving renters $1,236 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 100, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 120. At a 19% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
275,411 residents · Arizona
The #5 spot goes to Gilbert, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $2,049/month — costing renters $1,848 more per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 109, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 147. At a 20% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
#1 Ranked: Naperville — cost index 122, rent $2,157/mo, income $150,937
Top 5 separated by only 3 points
138 of 246 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
This is one of the closest races in our database: the top 5 cities are separated by just 3 points on the cost index. Naperville, Cary, Centennial, Olathe, Gilbert are all within striking distance. At this margin, secondary factors — taxes, rent trends, category-specific costs — become the tiebreakers. Here's the full breakdown.
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. Naperville (index 122, rent $2,157); Cary (index 115, rent $1,649); Centennial (index 122, rent $2,056). 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 Naperville? Start with the 17% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Utilities (index 112) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 154) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $150,937 and homes at $594,498 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
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.
We pull all cities outside Texas and rank them by value ratio (income ÷ cost index). Cities offering lower costs or higher income than Texas'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.
Naperville ranks #1 in Texas for this analysis with a cost index of 122 and median income of $150,937.
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.
Naperville (ranked #1) has a cost index of 122 and rent of $2,157/mo, while Newark (ranked #246) has a cost index of 116 and rent of $2,121/mo — a 6-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 Naperville is $2,157/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $262 above the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Naperville is $594,498, which is 3.9× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
Texas has a 4.95% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.83%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.73%.
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.