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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
High income and low costs rarely coexist — but Colorado Springs pulls it off. At $83,198 median household income and a 97 cost index, residents enjoy purchasing power that 18% exceeds the national average. We found this pattern across 2 cities using 2026 data.
High income and low costs rarely coexist — but Colorado Springs pulls it off. At $83,198 median household income and a 97 cost index, residents enjoy purchasing power that 18% exceeds the national average. We found this pattern across 2 cities using 2026 data.
Look, Dive into Colorado Springs's numbers: cost index 97 (14 points below national average), rent $1,667/month, income $83,198, and a home price of $446,132. And for the typical household, the city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 97, while Healthcare runs 99. With 488,664 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
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 (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
#1 Ranked: Colorado Springs, CO — cost index 97, rent $1,667/mo, income $83,198
Colorado Springs: 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
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado SpringsCO | 97 | $1,667 | Details |
| 2 | RaleighNC | 92 | $1,567 | Details |
488,664 residents · Colorado
Why Colorado Springs ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 97 on the cost index, residents save roughly 14% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,667/month — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — while the median household pulls in $83,198/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 97, though Healthcare (99) lags behind. Home prices average $446,132 — $21,238 below the national median.
482,295 residents · North Carolina
The #2 spot goes to Raleigh, and the breakdown explains why. And most of the time, renters here pay $1,567/month — saving renters $3,936 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 92, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 98. At a 23% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
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 Raleigh (ranked #2) has a cost index of 92 and rent of $1,567/mo — a 5-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.