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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Columbus stands out at 94 on the index, with rent of $1,415/month — though some people might weigh that differently — and household income of $65,327. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data. Solidly ab…
The numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Columbus stands out at 94 on the index, with rent of $1,415/month — though some people might weigh that differently — and household income of $65,327. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data. Solidly above average.
What does daily life actually cost in Columbus? Start with the 26% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Housing (index 84) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 96) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $65,327 and homes at $243,005 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
If the first stat impressed you, this one grounds it. And most of the time, 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. Not many cities can claim this.
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. And in most cases, 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: 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 | FresnoCA | 105 | $1,693 | Details |
913,175 residents · Ohio
Dive into Columbus's numbers: cost index 94 (18 points below national average), rent $1,415/month, income $65,327, and a home price of $243,005. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 84, while Healthcare runs 96. As a major city with 913,175 residents, amenities and job markets are robust.
545,716 residents · California
At $1,693/month for rent and a cost index of 105, Fresno is pretty much what you'd expect from a larger city in this part of the country. Income is $66,804. It's fine. Not great, not bad.
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 Fresno (ranked #2) has a cost index of 105 and rent of $1,693/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.