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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The income-cost paradox: Cary pays $129,399 — 61% above the national median — while costing just 96 on the index. Only 40 of 288 tracked cities share this unusual profile. Here's the full 246-city ranking for 2026.
180,010 residents · North Carolina
Why Cary ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 96 on the cost index, residents save roughly 15% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,649/month while the median household pulls in $129,399/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 96, though Healthcare (99) lags behind. Home prices average $620,401 — $153,031 above the national median.
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.
114,908 residents · Utah
Why West Jordan ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. At 96 on the cost index, residents save roughly 15% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,651/month while the median household pulls in $103,960/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 96, though Healthcare (99) lags behind. Home prices average $555,810 — $88,440 above the national median.
197,089 residents · Kansas
The #4 spot goes to Overland Park, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,666/month — saving renters $2,748 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 97, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 99. At a 19% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
147,461 residents · Kansas
The #5 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, Healthcare is the standout at index 101, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 105. At a 19% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
#1 Ranked: Cary — cost index 96, rent $1,649/mo, income $129,399
Cary: high income, low cost — a rare combo
134 of 246 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
The income-cost paradox: Cary pays $129,399 — 61% above the national median — while costing just 96 on the index. Only 40 of 288 tracked cities share this unusual profile. Here's the full 246-city ranking for 2026.
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. Cary (index 96, rent $1,649); Naperville (index 126, rent $2,157); West Jordan (index 96, rent $1,651). 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 Cary? Start with the 15% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Housing (index 96) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 99) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $129,399 and homes at $620,401 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.
Cary earns above the national median ($129,399 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 96 vs 111). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 40 of 288 cities share it.
Cary (index 96) and Miami (index 173) sit 77 points apart on the cost index — proof that Texas is far from monolithic in affordability.
Rent ranges from $1,649/mo in Cary to $2,964/mo in Miami — a monthly difference of $1,315, or $15,780 per year.
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.
Cary ranks #1 in Texas for this analysis with a cost index of 96 and median income of $129,399.
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.
Cary (ranked #1) has a cost index of 96 and rent of $1,649/mo, while Miami (ranked #246) has a cost index of 173 and rent of $2,964/mo — a 77-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 Cary is $1,649/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $246 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Cary is $620,401, which is 4.8× 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 4.5% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.98%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.7%.
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.