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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Put it this way: Let's be honest: these cities aren't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Chicago proves it with a cost index of 134, and we've ranked all 2 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscape. A re…
Put it this way: Let's be honest: these cities aren't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Chicago proves it with a cost index of 134, and we've ranked all 2 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscape. A real contender.
The numbers for Chicago are straightforward: 134 on the cost index, $2,292/month rent, $75,134 income. Fairly typical for a city this size. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is.
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: Chicago, IL — cost index 134, rent $2,292/mo, income $75,134
Chicago rent up 5% over the past year
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
2,664,452 residents · Illinois
Look, the numbers for Chicago are straightforward: 134 on the cost index, $2,292/month rent, $75,134 income. That's about what we'd expect given the state context. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
1,302,868 residents · Texas
Dallas earns its position at #2 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 93 cost index sits 18 points below the national baseline, and the $67,760 — for better or worse — median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. That alone makes it worth considering. Homes list at $305,523 — $161,847 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 93, while Healthcare trails at 99. Solidly above average.
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.
Chicago (ranked #1) has a cost index of 134 and rent of $2,292/mo, while Dallas (ranked #2) has a cost index of 93 and rent of $1,591/mo — a 41-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 Chicago is $2,292/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $397 above the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Chicago is $312,457, which is 4.2× 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.