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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 188 cities across the country to build this ranking using 2026 federal data. Evansville, IN takes the #1 spot with a cost inde…
#1 Ranked: Evansville, IN — cost index 85, rent $1,010/mo, income $52,251
188 of 288 cities qualify
170 of 188 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 188 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.
Most rankings ignore this. We think it's the whole point: 188 of 288 cities qualify. Only 188 out of 288 tracked US cities have median 1-bedroom rent below $2,000/month. That's 65% of the market.
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.
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.
And here's what ties it all together: 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. Not many cities can claim this.
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 188 out of 288 tracked US cities have median 1-bedroom rent below $2,000/month. That's 65% 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 ranges from $1,010/mo in Evansville to $1,990/mo in Sugar Land — a monthly difference of $980, or $11,760 per year.
| 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
The #1 spot goes to Evansville, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,010/month — saving renters $10,620 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 63, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 88. At a 23% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget (we double-checked this one).
265,304 residents · Ohio
Dive into Toledo's numbers: cost index 83 (29 points below national average), rent $1,060/month, income $47,532, and a home price of $126,270. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 57, while Healthcare runs 85. With 265,304 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs (more on that below).
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. For families with student loans, that cost gap is a second income.
396,119 residents · Kansas
Dive into Wichita's numbers: cost index 87 (25 points below national average), rent $1,125/month, income $63,072, and a home price of $198,074. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 68, while Healthcare runs 90. With 396,119 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes). One to watch.
188,701 residents · Ohio
Dive into Akron's numbers: cost index 84 (28 points below national average), rent $1,134/month, income $48,544, and a home price of $134,376. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 61, while Healthcare runs 87. With 188,701 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
We filter all 288 tracked US cities to only those with median 1-bedroom rent below $2,000/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 Sugar Land (ranked #188) has a cost index of 112 and rent of $1,990/mo — a 27-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.