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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Let's be honest: these cities aren't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Dallas proves it with a cost index of 99, and we've ranked all 2 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscape.
Let's be honest: these cities aren't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Dallas proves it with a cost index of 99, and we've ranked all 2 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscape.
A closer look at Dallas: the cost index of 99 breaks down to a Utilities index of 91 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 102 (weakest). Median rent is $1,591/month — 16% below the national median — while household income sits at $67,760, meaning locals spend about 28% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room. If you've been scrolling through listings in high-cost metros and feeling defeated, look at these numbers again. Seriously. The difference between renting here and renting in a major coastal city could literally fund a retirement account. That's not hyperbole — run the math yourself. A thousand dollars a month saved, compounded over a decade, is a down payment on a house. In this city, that math actually works.
And here's what ties it all together: Nationally, the 288 cities in our database average a cost index of 112 — make of that what you will — , rent of $1,895/month, and household income of $80,367. The cities in this ranking significantly outperform those benchmarks. Over thirty years of homeownership, the property tax savings alone are staggering.
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: Dallas, TX — cost index 99, rent $1,591/mo, income $67,760
1 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
1,302,868 residents · Texas
A closer look at Dallas: the cost index of 99 — for better or worse — breaks down to a Utilities index of 91 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 102 (weakest). Median rent is $1,591/month — 16% below the national median — while household income sits at $67,760, meaning locals spend about 28% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room (which, to be fair, is a metric that favors smaller cities).
716,577 residents · Colorado
Dive into Denver's numbers: cost index 113 (1 points above national average), rent $1,818/month, income $91,681, and a home price of $530,920. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 104, while Housing runs 133. As a major city with 716,577 residents, amenities and job markets are robust.
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.
Dallas (ranked #1) has a cost index of 99 and rent of $1,591/mo, while Denver (ranked #2) has a cost index of 113 and rent of $1,818/mo — a 14-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 Dallas is $1,591/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $304 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Dallas is $305,523, which is 4.5× 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.