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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Premium market, smart picks: while Utah trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Provo at index 105 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving Utah.
| Rank | City | Utilities Index | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Provo | 97 | 105 | $1,448 | Details |
| 2 | West Valley | 98 | 106 | $1,560 | Details |
| 3 | Salt Lake | 102 | 111 | $1,592 | Details |
| 4 | West Jordan | 103 | 112 | $1,651 | Details |
#1 Ranked: Provo — cost index 105, rent $1,448/mo, income $62,800
Provo rent up 3% over the past year
3 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
Premium market, smart picks: while Utah trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Provo at index 105 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving Utah.
Provo rent up 3% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked Provo has increased from $1,407 to $1,448/mo over the past 12 months — a 3% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time. Financially, that's significant.
The #1 spot goes to Provo, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,448/month — saving renters $5,364 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 97, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 113. A 28% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
The utilities sub-index is derived from overall cost of living with regional BLS price adjustments. A score of 100 (the top-10 average here) means utilities costs are about 0% below the national median. Provo leads at 97, followed by West Valley (98) and Salt Lake (102). Note: a low utilities index doesn't guarantee a low overall cost — check the full cost breakdown table below.
Now zoom in on the cost categories. And most of the time, 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.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
113,343 residents · Utah
What does daily life actually cost in Provo? Start with the 28% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. And in most cases, on the category level, Utilities (index 97) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 113) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $62,800 and homes at $478,858 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
134,470 residents · Utah
A closer look at West Valley: the cost index of 106 breaks down to a Utilities index of 98 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 116 (weakest). Median rent is $1,560/month — 18% below the national median — while household income sits at $88,604, meaning locals spend about 21% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard. Not flashy. Just effective.
209,593 residents · Utah
The #3 spot goes to Salt Lake, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,592/month — saving renters $3,636 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 102, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 128. A 25% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
114,908 residents · Utah
The #4 spot goes to West Jordan, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,651/month — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — — saving renters $2,928 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 103, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 130. At a 19% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
Cities are ranked by their utilities cost sub-index within Utah. Each sub-index is derived from the overall cost of living with regional adjustment factors. 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.
Provo ranks #1 in Utah for this analysis with a cost index of 105 and median income of $62,800.
Provo, UT has the lowest utilities index at 97, 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.
Provo (ranked #1) has a cost index of 105 and rent of $1,448/mo, while West Jordan (ranked #4) has a cost index of 112 and rent of $1,651/mo — a 7-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 Provo is $1,448/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $447 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Provo is $478,858, which is 7.6× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. The national median home price is $467,370.
Utah has a 4.55% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.21%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.52%.
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.