Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
This next stat is the one to screenshot: 13 of 288 cities qualify. Only 13 out of 288 tracked US cities have median 1-bedroom rent below $1,200/month. That's 5% of the market.
#1 Ranked: Evansville, IN — cost index 85, rent $1,010/mo, income $52,251
13 of 288 cities qualify
13 of 13 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
This next stat is the one to screenshot: 13 of 288 cities qualify. Only 13 out of 288 tracked US cities have median 1-bedroom rent below $1,200/month. That's 5% of the market.
Midwest dominates with 10 of top 10. 10 of the 10 top-ranked cities are in the Midwest. Rust Belt affordability and steady incomes keep these cities competitive. We analyzed 13 cities across the country to build this ranking using 2026 federal data. Evansville, IN takes the #1 spot with a cost index of 85 and rent of $1,010/month.
Here's Evansville by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 85. Rent: $1,010/month. Income: $52,251/year. Home price: $194,790. Population: 115,332. The strongest category is Housing at 63; the most expensive is Healthcare at 88. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $10,620 per year vs. the national median. On a fixed income, this is the metric that matters most.
It's a strong position — but not without footnotes. Nationally, the 288 cities in our database average a cost index of 112, rent of $1,895/month, and household income of $80,367. The cities in this ranking significantly outperform those benchmarks. If you're a planner, this number should anchor your spreadsheet.
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.
Only 13 out of 288 tracked US cities have median 1-bedroom rent below $1,200/month. That's 5% of the market.
10 of the 10 top-ranked cities are in the Midwest. Rust Belt affordability and steady incomes keep these cities competitive.
The race is tight: Evansville, Toledo, Fargo, Wichita, Akron are all within 1 points of each other. At this level, differences in rent, taxes, or a single category can sway the decision.
Rent in #1-ranked Evansville has increased from $951 to $1,010/mo over the past 12 months — a 6% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time.
| Rank | City | Median Rent | Cost Index | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EvansvilleIN | $1,010 | 85 | Details |
| 2 | ToledoOH | $1,060 | 83 | Details |
| 3 | FargoND | $1,096 | 92 | Details |
| 4 | WichitaKS | $1,125 | 87 | Details |
| 5 | AkronOH | $1,134 | 84 | Details |
| 6 | Des MoinesIA | $1,141 | 88 | Details |
| 7 | RockfordIL | $1,151 | 86 | Details |
| 8 | Cedar RapidsIA | $1,158 | 88 | Details |
| 9 | Fort WayneIN | $1,160 | 90 | Details |
| 10 | TopekaKS | $1,169 | 87 | Details |
| 11 | ShreveportLA | $1,170 | 85 | Details |
| 12 | Little RockAR | $1,171 | 89 | Details |
| 13 | DaytonOH | $1,186 | 85 | Details |
115,332 residents · Indiana
What does daily life actually cost in Evansville? Start with the 23% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. Fairly typical for a city this size. On the category level, Housing (index 63) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 88) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $52,251 — whether that matters depends on your situation — and homes at $194,790 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
265,304 residents · Ohio
A closer look at Toledo: the cost index of 83 breaks down to a Housing index of 57 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 85 (weakest). Median rent is $1,060/month — 44% below the national median — while household income sits at $47,532, meaning locals spend about 27% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
133,188 residents · North Dakota
The #3 spot goes to Fargo, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,096/month — saving renters $9,588 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 80, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 95. At a 20% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
396,119 residents · Kansas
Why Wichita ranks #4: the numbers tell a clear story. At 87 on the cost index, residents save roughly 25% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,125/month while the median household pulls in $63,072/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 68, though Healthcare (90) lags behind. Home prices average $198,074 — $269,296 below the national median.
188,701 residents · Ohio
Akron earns its position at #5 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 84 cost index sits 28 points below the national baseline, and the $48,544 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $134,376 — $332,994 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 61, while Healthcare trails at 87.
We filter all 288 tracked US cities to only those with median 1-bedroom rent below $1,200/month (per Zillow ZORI). Qualifying cities are then ranked by rent from lowest to highest. 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.
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.
Evansville (ranked #1) has a cost index of 85 and rent of $1,010/mo, while Dayton (ranked #13) has a cost index of 85 and rent of $1,186/mo — a 0-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 Evansville is $1,010/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $885 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Evansville is $194,790, which is 3.7× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
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.