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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Dollar for dollar, few states match Oklahoma's value. 4 out of 4 cities undercut the national cost index of 112. Leading the pack: Oklahoma at index 89, where median rent of $1,255/month saves renters $7,680/year versus the national median.
702,767 residents · Oklahoma
The #1 spot goes to Oklahoma, and the breakdown explains why. And as a general rule, renters here pay $1,255/month — saving renters $7,680 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 73, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 92. At a 23% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
411,894 residents · Oklahoma
The #2 spot goes to Tulsa, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,207/month — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — — saving renters $8,256 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 73, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 92. A 25% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone. That's not nothing.
130,046 residents · Oklahoma
What does daily life actually cost in Norman? Start with the 24% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Housing (index 81) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 95) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $65,060 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — and homes at $257,977 round out a profile that ranks #3 for clear reasons.
119,194 residents · Oklahoma
Real talk: the #4 spot goes to Broken Arrow, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,671/month — saving renters $2,688 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 92, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 103. At a 24% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
#1 Ranked: Oklahoma — cost index 89, rent $1,255/mo, income $66,702
4 of 4 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
Dollar for dollar, few states match Oklahoma's value. 4 out of 4 cities undercut the national cost index of 112. Leading the pack: Oklahoma at index 89, where median rent of $1,255/month saves renters $7,680/year versus the national median.
The utilities sub-index is derived from overall cost of living with regional BLS price adjustments. That tracks. A score of 85 (the top-10 average here) means utilities costs are about 15% below the national median. Oklahoma leads at 82, followed by Tulsa (82) and Norman (85). Note: a low utilities index doesn't guarantee a low overall cost — check the full cost breakdown table below.
Real talk: Oklahoma is one of the cheaper options here. Rent is $1,255/month — worth pausing on — , which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 89. Income sits at $66,702. That tracks.
The numbers say yes. And as far as the data shows, your lifestyle might say not so fast. In Oklahoma, the healthcare index sits at 92 — not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing about.
Bottom line: Oklahoma 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. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is. There's an argument to be made — and I think the data supports it — that the cities getting all the attention right now are exactly the wrong places to move. The spotlight drives migration, migration drives demand, demand drives costs, and eventually the value proposition disappears. Meanwhile, cities like this one keep quietly being affordable, and the people who find them early are the ones who benefit most.
Oklahoma ranks #1 in Oklahoma for this analysis with a cost index of 89 and median income of $66,702.
Oklahoma, OK has the lowest utilities index at 82, compared to the national average of 100.
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.
Oklahoma (ranked #1) has a cost index of 89 and rent of $1,255/mo, while Broken Arrow (ranked #4) has a cost index of 100 and rent of $1,671/mo — a 11-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 Oklahoma is $1,255/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $640 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Oklahoma is $203,329, which is 3.0× the local median income. That's within the standard 3.5× affordability rule for most local earners. The national median home price is $467,370.
Oklahoma has a 4.75% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.97%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.82%.
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.