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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
People move for jobs, weather, and family. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is. But they stay for this: Colorado Springs: high income, low cost — a rare combo. Colorado Springs earns above the national median ($83,198 — a detail that tends to get overlooked — vs $80,367) while keeping cost…
People move for jobs, weather, and family. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is. But they stay for this: Colorado Springs: high income, low cost — a rare combo. Colorado Springs earns above the national median ($83,198 — a detail that tends to get overlooked — vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 97 vs 111). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 40 of 288 cities share it. If you're debt-free, those savings go straight to building wealth.
The income-cost paradox: Colorado Springs pays $83,198 — for better or worse — — 4% above the national median — while costing just 97 on the index. Only 40 of 288 tracked cities share this unusual profile. Here's the full 2-city ranking for 2026.
Here's Colorado Springs by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). That's a reasonable number. Cost index: 97. Rent: $1,667/month. Income: $83,198/year. Home price: $446,132. Population: 488,664. The strongest category is Housing at 97; the most expensive is Healthcare at 99. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,736 per year vs. the national median. The delta here is big enough to fund a retirement account.
There's more to the story, though. 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 dramatically different 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. The data is here; the decision is yours.
#1 Ranked: Colorado Springs, CO — cost index 97, rent $1,667/mo, income $83,198
Colorado Springs: high income, low cost — a rare combo
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 | Colorado SpringsCO | 97 | $1,667 | Details |
| 2 | MiamiFL | 173 | $2,964 | Details |
488,664 residents · Colorado
Colorado Springs earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 97 cost index sits 14 points below the national baseline, and the $83,198 median income means purchasing power here is genuinely above average. Homes list at $446,132 — $21,238 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 97, while Healthcare trails at 99.
455,924 residents · Florida
A closer look at Miami: the cost index of 173 breaks down to a Healthcare index of 115 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 173 (weakest). Median rent is $2,964/month — 56% above the national median — while household income sits at $59,390, meaning locals spend about 60% of income on rent. That exceeds the recommended 30% threshold — affordability here depends on earning above the median.
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.
Colorado Springs (ranked #1) has a cost index of 97 and rent of $1,667/mo, while Miami (ranked #2) has a cost index of 173 and rent of $2,964/mo — a 76-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 Colorado Springs is $1,667/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $228 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Colorado Springs is $446,132, which is 5.4× 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.