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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Here's Austin by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). And for many people, cost index: 89. Rent: $1,531/month. Income: $91,461/year. Home price: $500,627. Population: 979,882. The strongest category is Housing at 89; the most expensive is Healthcare at 98. Translate that …
Austin earns above the national median ($91,461 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 89 vs 111). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 40 of 288 cities share it.
Rent in #1-ranked Austin has decreased from $1,578 to $1,531/mo over the past 12 months — a 3% decrease. The downward trend makes it an even stronger pick.
Here's Austin by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). And for many people, cost index: 89. Rent: $1,531/month. Income: $91,461/year. Home price: $500,627. Population: 979,882. The strongest category is Housing at 89; the most expensive is Healthcare at 98. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $4,368 per year vs. the national median. That's the kind of affordability that turns 'maybe someday' into 'next month.'
The ranking uses a composite of 2026 data from Census Bureau population/income surveys, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary benchmarks, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Austin (index 89, rent $1,531); Detroit (index 77, rent $1,318). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
Austin breaks the usual trade-off between income and cost of living. Most affordable cities pay less — but Austin delivers a median household income of $91,461 (14% above the national median) while keeping costs 22 points below national average. That's a rare combination shared by only 40 of the 288 cities we track.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours.
#1 Ranked: Austin, TX — cost index 89, rent $1,531/mo, income $91,461
Austin: high income, low cost — a rare combo
2 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
979,882 residents · Texas
Why Austin ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 89 on the cost index, residents save roughly 22% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,531/month while the median household pulls in $91,461/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 89, though Healthcare (98) lags behind. Home prices average $500,627 — $33,257 above the national median.
633,218 residents · Michigan
What does daily life actually cost in Detroit? Start with the 40% rent-to-income ratio — stretched, especially for single earners. On the category level, Housing (index 77) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 95) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is. Income at $39,575 and homes at $74,828 round out a profile that ranks #2 for clear reasons.
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.
Austin (ranked #1) has a cost index of 89 and rent of $1,531/mo, while Detroit (ranked #2) has a cost index of 77 and rent of $1,318/mo — a 12-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 Austin is $1,531/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $364 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Austin is $500,627, which is 5.5× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. 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.