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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Atlanta breaks the usual trade-off between income and cost of living. That tracks. Most affordable cities pay less — but Atlanta delivers a median household income of $81,938 — we had to double-check this one — (2% above the national median) while keeping costs 1 points below national average. That…
Atlanta breaks the usual trade-off between income and cost of living. That tracks. Most affordable cities pay less — but Atlanta delivers a median household income of $81,938 — we had to double-check this one — (2% above the national median) while keeping costs 1 points below national average. That's a rare combination shared by only 40 of the 288 cities we track. A real contender.
Dive into Atlanta's numbers: cost index 110 — worth pausing on — (1 points below national average), rent $1,888/month, income $81,938, and a home price of $381,549. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Healthcare is the cheapest category at 102, while Housing runs 110. As a major city with 510,823 residents, amenities and job markets are robust.
Bottom line: Atlanta, GA leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. And as far as the data shows, click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
#1 Ranked: Atlanta, GA — cost index 110, rent $1,888/mo, income $81,938
Atlanta: high income, low cost — a rare combo
1 of 2 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
510,823 residents · Georgia
A closer look at Atlanta: the cost index of 110 breaks down to a Healthcare index of 102 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 110 (weakest). And broadly, median rent is $1,888/month — 0% above the national median — while household income sits at $81,938, meaning locals spend about 28% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
455,924 residents · Florida
A closer look at Miami: the cost index of 173 breaks down to a Healthcare index of 115 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 173 (weakest). Median rent is $2,964/month — 56% above the national median — while household income sits at $59,390, meaning locals spend about 60% of income on rent. That exceeds the recommended 30% threshold — affordability here depends on earning above the median (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling). Surprising? Maybe. But the data's clear.
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.
Atlanta (ranked #1) has a cost index of 110 and rent of $1,888/mo, while Miami (ranked #2) has a cost index of 173 and rent of $2,964/mo — a 63-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 Atlanta is $1,888/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $7 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Atlanta is $381,549, which is 4.7× 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.