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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
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 79 cities across the country to build this ranking using 2026 federal data. Evansville, IN takes the #1 spot with a cost index…
#1 Ranked: Evansville, IN — cost index 85, rent $1,010/mo, income $52,251
79 of 288 cities qualify
79 of 79 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
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 79 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.
To be honest, 79 of 288 cities qualify. And more often than not, only 79 out of 288 tracked US cities have median 1-bedroom rent below $1,500/month. That's 27% of the market. It's fine. About what you'd guess. Not great, not bad.
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. For freelancers and gig workers with variable income, this cushion is everything.
Look, 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. Evansville: $1,010/mo, Toledo: $1,060/mo, Fargo: $1,096/mo. The cheapest city here is $885 under the national median — that's $10,620/year in savings on rent alone.
An outlier in the best sense.
Balance that against the cost side: For context: the typical American city has a cost index of 112, pays $1,895/month in rent, and earns $80,367 per household. The top-ranked cities here tell a dramatically different story — one that's worth exploring city by city.
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 79 out of 288 tracked US cities have median 1-bedroom rent below $1,500/month. That's 27% 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 |
| 14 | TulsaOK | $1,207 | 89 | Details |
| 15 | MaconGA | $1,207 | 87 | Details |
| 16 | SpringfieldMO | $1,209 | 90 | Details |
| 17 | MemphisTN | $1,234 | 86 | Details |
| 18 | AmarilloTX | $1,245 | 89 | Details |
| 19 | OklahomaOK | $1,255 | 89 | Details |
| 20 | MobileAL | $1,264 | 89 | Details |
| 21 | Sioux FallsSD | $1,265 | 95 | Details |
| 22 | McallenTX | $1,272 | 91 | Details |
| 23 | BeaumontTX | $1,275 | 88 | Details |
| 24 | LafayetteLA | $1,279 | 90 | Details |
| 25 | KilleenTX | $1,280 | 90 | Details |
115,332 residents · Indiana
Why Evansville ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 85 on the cost index, residents save roughly 27% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,010/month while the median household pulls in $52,251/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 63, though Healthcare (88) lags behind. Home prices average $194,790 — $272,580 below the national median.
265,304 residents · Ohio
The #2 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 math checks out.
133,188 residents · North Dakota
Here's Fargo by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 92. Rent: $1,096/month. Income: $66,029/year. Home price: $312,872. Population: 133,188. The strongest category is Housing at 80; the most expensive is Healthcare at 95. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $9,588 per year vs. the national median. Even in a down market, this kind of cost structure protects household budgets.
396,119 residents · Kansas
The #4 spot goes to Wichita, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,125/month — saving renters $9,240 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 68, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 90. At a 21% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
188,701 residents · Ohio
What does daily life actually cost in Akron? Start with the 28% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Housing (index 61) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 87) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $48,544 and homes at $134,376 round out a profile that ranks #5 for clear reasons.
We filter all 288 tracked US cities to only those with median 1-bedroom rent below $1,500/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 Chattanooga (ranked #79) has a cost index of 98 and rent of $1,499/mo — a 13-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.