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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
High income and low costs rarely coexist — but Austin pulls it off. At $91,461 — we had to double-check this one — median household income and a 89 cost index, residents enjoy purchasing power that 42% exceeds the national average. That tracks. We found this pattern across 2 cities using 2026 data.
High income and low costs rarely coexist — but Austin pulls it off. At $91,461 — we had to double-check this one — median household income and a 89 cost index, residents enjoy purchasing power that 42% exceeds the national average. That tracks. We found this pattern across 2 cities using 2026 data.
Austin is one of the cheaper options here. And in practical terms, rent is $1,531/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 89. Income sits at $91,461. Fairly typical for a city this size (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
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.
#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
Dive into Austin's numbers: cost index 89 (22 points below national average), rent $1,531/month, income $91,461, and a home price of $500,627. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 89, while Healthcare runs 98. As a major city with 979,882 residents, amenities and job markets are robust.
483,335 residents · Nebraska
Omaha earns its position at #2 through a combination that's hard to replicate. And in practical terms, the 82 cost index sits 29 points below the national baseline, and the $72,708 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $288,850 — $178,520 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 82, while Healthcare trails at 96. An outlier in the best sense.
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 Omaha (ranked #2) has a cost index of 82 and rent of $1,403/mo — a 7-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.