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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
These cities are a genuine bargain: 2 of the 2 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. That alone makes it worth considering. Columbus leads at an index of 94 with rent at just $1,415/month — 25% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced fr…
These cities are a genuine bargain: 2 of the 2 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. That alone makes it worth considering. Columbus leads at an index of 94 with rent at just $1,415/month — 25% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
Straight up: a closer look at Columbus: the cost index of 94 breaks down to a Housing index of 84 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 96 (weakest). That tracks. Median rent is $1,415/month — 25% below the national median — while household income sits at $65,327, meaning locals spend about 26% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
And there's one more thing: Nationally, the 288 cities in our database average a cost index of 112, rent of $1,895/month, and household income of $80,367. The cities in this ranking significantly outperform those benchmarks. If two cities have the same income, this cost gap is the tiebreaker.
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: Columbus, OH — cost index 94, rent $1,415/mo, income $65,327
2 of 2 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ColumbusOH | 94 | $1,415 | Details |
| 2 | CharlotteNC | 105 | $1,705 | Details |
913,175 residents · Ohio
In plain English: the numbers for Columbus are straightforward: 94 on the cost index, $1,415/month — for better or worse — rent, $65,327 income. Fairly typical for a city this size. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. That's about what we'd expect given the state context (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
911,311 residents · North Carolina
Why Charlotte ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 105 on the cost index, residents save roughly 7% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,705/month — though some people might weigh that differently — while the median household pulls in $78,438/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 97, though Housing (113) lags behind. Home prices average $393,846 — $73,524 below the national 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.
Columbus (ranked #1) has a cost index of 94 and rent of $1,415/mo, while Charlotte (ranked #2) has a cost index of 105 and rent of $1,705/mo — a 11-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 Columbus is $1,415/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $480 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Columbus is $243,005, which is 3.7× 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.