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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Let's be honest: these cities aren't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Boston proves it with a cost index of 205, and we've ranked all 2 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscape.
Let's be honest: these cities aren't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Boston proves it with a cost index of 205, and we've ranked all 2 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscape.
Dive into Boston's numbers: cost index 205 (94 points above national average), rent $3,510/month, income $94,755, and a home price of $768,702. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Healthcare is the cheapest category at 121, while Housing runs 205. As a major city with 653,833 residents, amenities and job markets are robust. No gimmicks — just good numbers.
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. The math checks out.
#1 Ranked: Boston, MA — cost index 205, rent $3,510/mo, income $94,755
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
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BostonMA | 205 | $3,510 | Details |
| 2 | PortlandOR | 100 | $1,710 | Details |
653,833 residents · Massachusetts
A closer look at Boston: the cost index of 205 breaks down to a Healthcare index of 121 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 205 (weakest). Median rent is $3,510/month — 85% above the national median — while household income sits at $94,755, meaning locals spend about 44% of income on rent. That exceeds the recommended 30% threshold — affordability here depends on earning above the median.
630,498 residents · Oregon
Portland earns its position at #2 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 100 cost index sits 11 points below the national baseline, and the $88,792 median income means purchasing power here is genuinely above average. Homes list at $524,251 — $56,881 above the national median, reflecting the metro premium. On the cost side, Healthcare leads the way at 100, while Healthcare trails at 100.
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.
Boston (ranked #1) has a cost index of 205 and rent of $3,510/mo, while Portland (ranked #2) has a cost index of 100 and rent of $1,710/mo — a 105-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 Boston is $3,510/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $1,615 above the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Boston is $768,702, which is 8.1× 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.