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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices in Utah — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. Frisco (index 118, rent $1,751/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 282 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026 (and that gap widens if you factor in state …
#1 Ranked: Frisco — cost index 118, rent $1,751/mo, income $146,158
173 of 282 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
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices in Utah — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. Frisco (index 118, rent $1,751/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 282 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026 (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 118 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 6% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,751/month while the median household pulls in $146,158/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 108, though Housing (145) lags behind. Home prices average $653,858 — $186,488 above the national median.
Real talk: None of this exists in a vacuum, though. And for the typical household, the 4 cities we track in Utah paint a surprisingly balanced picture. Average cost index: 109. 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.
In plain English: 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.
225,007 residents · Texas
Why Frisco ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 118 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 6% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,751/month while the median household pulls in $146,158/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 108, though Housing (145) lags behind. Home prices average $653,858 — $186,488 above the national median.
150,245 residents · Illinois
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. And for the typical household, 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 #2 for clear reasons. No gimmicks — just good numbers.
108,515 residents · Texas
The numbers for Sugar Land are straightforward: 112 on the cost index, $1,990/month rent, $137,511 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.
111,620 residents · Texas
Dive into Allen's numbers: cost index 109 (3 points below national average), rent $1,634/month, income $129,130, and a home price of $497,016. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 100, while Housing runs 122. With 111,620 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
116,320 residents · Texas
League earns its position at #5 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 105 cost index sits 7 points below the national baseline, and the $119,870 median income means purchasing power here is genuinely above average. Homes list at $368,400 — $98,970 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Utilities leads the way at 97, while Housing trails at 113.
Frisco ranks #1 in Utah for this analysis with a cost index of 118 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 118 and rent of $1,751/mo, while Mesquite (ranked #282) has a cost index of 94 and rent of $1,397/mo — a 24-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.