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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The #1 spot goes to Toledo, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,060/month — saving renters $10,020 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 57, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 8…
#1 Ranked: Toledo — cost index 83, rent $1,060/mo, income $47,532
Toledo rent up 5% over the past year
6 of 6 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
The #1 spot goes to Toledo, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,060/month — saving renters $10,020 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 57, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 85. A 27% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
The numbers are clear: 6 of 6 cities in Ohio beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Toledo stands out at 83 on the index, with rent of $1,060/month and household income of $47,532. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
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.
265,304 residents · Ohio
Toledo is one of the cheaper options here. And roughly speaking, rent is $1,060/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 83. Income sits at $47,532. Not the most exciting stat, but it matters.
188,701 residents · Ohio
So, Akron. Cost index of 84 — a detail that tends to get overlooked — , rent at $1,134/month. It's lower than the national average. Median income is $48,544, which is below the national median. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is.
135,512 residents · Ohio
A closer look at Dayton: the cost index of 85 breaks down to a Housing index of 63 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 88 (weakest). Median rent is $1,186/month — 37% below the national median — while household income sits at $43,454, meaning locals spend about 33% of income on rent. That exceeds the recommended 30% threshold — affordability here depends on earning above the median.
362,656 residents · Ohio
Dive into Cleveland's numbers: cost index 87 (25 points below national average), rent $1,344/month, income $39,187, and a home price of $113,669. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 67, while Healthcare runs 89. With 362,656 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
201,877 residents · Ohio
Why Columbus ranks #5: the numbers tell a clear story. At 94 on the cost index, residents save roughly 18% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,415/month while the median household pulls in $65,327/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 84, though Healthcare (96) lags behind. Home prices average $243,005 — $224,365 below the national median.
Toledo ranks #1 in Ohio for this analysis with a cost index of 83 and median income of $47,532.
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.
Toledo (ranked #1) has a cost index of 83 and rent of $1,060/mo, while Cincinnati (ranked #6) has a cost index of 94 and rent of $1,425/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 Toledo is $1,060/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $835 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Toledo is $126,270, which is 2.7× 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.
Ohio has a 3.5% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.24%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.36%.
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.