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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Look, North Dakota is a genuine bargain: 1 of the 1 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Fargo leads at an index of 64 with rent at just $1,096/month — 42% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
#1 Ranked: Fargo — cost index 64, rent $1,096/mo, income $66,029
1 of 1 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
Look, North Dakota is a genuine bargain: 1 of the 1 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Fargo leads at an index of 64 with rent at just $1,096/month — 42% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
A closer look at Fargo: the cost index of 64 breaks down to a Housing index of 64 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 93 (weakest). Median rent is $1,096/month — 42% below the national median — while household income sits at $66,029, meaning locals spend about 20% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
Rent data is sourced from Zillow's Observed Rent Index (ZORI), which tracks the median rent across all active listings — not just new leases. This gives a more representative and stable signal than asking prices alone. Fargo: $1,096/mo. The cheapest city here is $799 under the national median — that's $9,588/year in savings on rent alone.
Surprising? Maybe. And with some exceptions, but the data's clear.
And here's the trade-off: State context matters: North Dakota's 1 cities average a 64 cost index with $1,096/month median rent and $66,029 household income. Oil-patch wages in a low-cost market. The 12-month trend chart is where this ranking comes alive.
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. And most of the time, 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 (though the trend is moving in the right direction).
133,188 residents · North Dakota
Dive into Fargo's numbers: cost index 64 (47 points below national average), rent $1,096/month, income $66,029, and a home price of $312,872. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 64, while Healthcare runs 93. With 133,188 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Fargo ranks #1 in North Dakota for this analysis with a cost index of 64 and median income of $66,029.
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.
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 Fargo is $1,096/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $799 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Fargo is $312,872, which is 4.7× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
North Dakota has a 1.95% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.04%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.94%.
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.