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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 282 cities in Utah using 2026 data (and that gap widens if you factor in …
#1 Ranked: Frisco — cost index 102, rent $1,751/mo, income $146,158
Frisco: high income, low cost — a rare combo
169 of 282 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 282 cities in Utah using 2026 data (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes). Not flashy. Just effective.
Why Frisco ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 102 on the cost index, residents save roughly 9% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,751/month while the median household pulls in $146,158/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 100, though Housing (102) lags behind. Home prices average $653,858 — $186,488 above the national median.
Real talk: People move for jobs, weather, and family. And for the typical household, but they stay for this: 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. That's a red flag worth investigating further.
In plain English: None of this exists in a vacuum, though. The 4 cities we track in Utah paint a clearly affordable picture. Average cost index: 91. Median rent: $1,563/month. Household income: $82,572. Utah is known for fastest-growing state economy with rising costs to match — and the data backs that reputation convincingly.
Bottom line: Frisco leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
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 Utah is far from monolithic in affordability.
225,007 residents · Texas
Why Frisco ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 102 on the cost index, residents save roughly 9% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,751/month while the median household pulls in $146,158/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 100, though Housing (102) lags behind. Home prices average $653,858 — $186,488 above the national median.
111,620 residents · Texas
What does daily life actually cost in Allen? Start with the 15% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. And for the typical household, on the category level, Housing (index 95) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 99) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $129,130 and homes at $497,016 round out a profile that ranks #2 for clear reasons. No gimmicks — just good numbers.
180,010 residents · North Carolina
The numbers for Cary are straightforward: 96 on the cost index, $1,649/month rent, $129,399 income. And generally speaking, not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. There's not much to say about that beyond the obvious.
213,509 residents · Texas
Dive into Mckinney's numbers: cost index 98 (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
Naperville earns its position at #5 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 126 cost index sits 15 points above the national baseline, and the $150,937 median income means purchasing power here is partially offset by higher costs. Homes list at $594,498 — $127,128 above the national median, reflecting the local market dynamics. On the cost side, Healthcare leads the way at 105, while Housing trails at 126.
Frisco ranks #1 in Utah 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 #282) 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.
Utah 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.