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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Look, the real cost of living can't be reduced to a single number. But this comes close: Chicago rent up 5% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked Chicago has increased from $2,179 to $2,292/mo over the past 12 months — a 5% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time. That kind of val…
Look, the real cost of living can't be reduced to a single number. But this comes close: Chicago rent up 5% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked Chicago has increased from $2,179 to $2,292/mo over the past 12 months — a 5% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time. That kind of value just doesn't show up in expensive metros.
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices here — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. And depending on your situation, chicago (index 134, rent $2,292/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 2 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026.
Why Chicago ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. And in most cases, at 134 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 23% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $2,292/month while the median household pulls in $75,134/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 107, though Housing (134) lags behind. Home prices average $312,457 — $154,913 below the national median (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling). A real contender.
Quick aside: when housing takes less of your income, the secondary effects are real — less financial stress, more discretionary spending, better local businesses.
The broader context shifts things: For context: the typical American city has a cost index of 111, pays $1,895/month in rent, and earns $80,367 per household. The top-ranked cities here tell a more nuanced story — one that's worth exploring city by city.
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. That's about what we'd expect given the state context. The data is here; the decision is yours (that's pre-tax, of course).
#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
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ChicagoIL | 134 | $2,292 | Details |
| 2 | Fort WorthTX | 91 | $1,554 | Details |
2,664,452 residents · Illinois
Why Chicago ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 134 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 23% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $2,292/month while the median household pulls in $75,134/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 107, though Housing (134) lags behind. Home prices average $312,457 — $154,913 below the national median (that's pre-tax, of course).
978,468 residents · Texas
The numbers for Fort Worth are straightforward: 91 on the cost index, $1,554/month — and yes, that's adjusted for the region — rent, $76,602 income. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. You get the picture (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes). Hard to argue with that.
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 Fort Worth (ranked #2) has a cost index of 91 and rent of $1,554/mo — a 43-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.