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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Here's what the headline numbers don't tell you: 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 the kind o…
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
Dive into Allen's numbers: cost index 95 (16 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 — Housing is the cheapest category at 95, while Healthcare runs 99. With 111,620 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
180,010 residents · North Carolina
In plain English: the #3 spot goes to Cary, and the breakdown explains why. And generally speaking, renters here pay $1,649/month — saving renters $2,952 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 96, 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.
213,509 residents · Texas
What does daily life actually cost in Mckinney? Start with the 17% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. And broadly, on the category level, Housing (index 98) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 100) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $120,273 and homes at $483,340 round out a profile that ranks #4 for clear reasons (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
150,245 residents · Illinois
Why Naperville ranks #5: the numbers tell a clear story. At 126 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 15% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $2,157/month while the median household pulls in $150,937/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 105, though Housing (126) lags behind. Home prices average $594,498 — $127,128 above the national median (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
#1 Ranked: Frisco — cost index 102, rent $1,751/mo, income $146,158
Frisco: high income, low cost — a rare combo
171 of 284 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
Here's what the headline numbers don't tell you: 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 the kind of stat homebuyers should print out for their mortgage meetings.
High income and low costs rarely coexist — but Frisco pulls it off. At $146,158 — and yes, that's adjusted for the region — median household income and a 102 cost index, residents enjoy purchasing power that 98% exceeds the national average. We found this pattern across 284 cities in Wisconsin using 2026 data.
Frisco comes in at #1. And in most cases, rent is $1,751 a month. Household income is $146,158. The cost of living index is 102. Moving on.
(Tangentially — this is the kind of city where you can actually build equity on a median salary, which is increasingly rare. And as a general rule, ) (we double-checked this one).
What's equally notable: Across Wisconsin, the average cost of living index is 89 — 22 points below the national median. Known for dairy state stability with surprisingly low costs, the state offers 2 tracked cities with median rents averaging $1,524/month — we had to double-check this one — . That's $371 less than the national average of $1,895. When healthcare costs are this low, the savings ripple across every other category (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes). Surprising? Maybe. But the data's clear.
Bottom line: Frisco leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. And with some exceptions, 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. It's fine. Not great, not bad. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
We pull all cities outside Wisconsin and rank them by value ratio (income ÷ cost index). Cities offering lower costs or higher income than Wisconsin'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.
Frisco ranks #1 in Wisconsin 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 #284) 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.
Wisconsin 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.