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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 median household income and a 89 cost index, residents enjoy purchasing power that 42% exceeds the national average. We found this pattern across 2 cities using 2026 data.
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.
High income and low costs rarely coexist — but Austin pulls it off. At $91,461 median household income and a 89 cost index, residents enjoy purchasing power that 42% exceeds the national average. We found this pattern across 2 cities using 2026 data.
A closer look at Austin: the cost index of 89 breaks down to a Housing index of 89 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 98 (weakest). Median rent is $1,531/month — 19% below the national median — while household income sits at $91,461, meaning locals spend about 20% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
Austin: high income, low cost — a rare combo. 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. At this level, the city practically pays for your move.
The same data, viewed through a different lens: Nationally, the 288 cities in our database average a cost index of 111, rent of $1,895/month, and household income of $80,367. The cities in this ranking significantly outperform those benchmarks. This is where the math gets real for actual people.
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 (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
#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
Here's Austin by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). 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. Over a five-year window, that difference is life-changing.
482,295 residents · North Carolina
A closer look at Raleigh: the cost index of 92 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — breaks down to a Housing index of 92 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 98 (weakest). Median rent is $1,567/month — 17% below the national median — while household income sits at $82,424, meaning locals spend about 23% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
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 Raleigh (ranked #2) has a cost index of 92 and rent of $1,567/mo — a 3-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.