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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices here — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. It lines up with what you'd expect. Dallas (index 99 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — , rent $1,591/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 2 cities to find…
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices here — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. It lines up with what you'd expect. Dallas (index 99 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — , rent $1,591/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 2 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026.
The ranking uses a composite of 2026 data from Census Bureau population/income surveys, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary benchmarks, and Tax Foundation tax rates. And in most cases, dallas (index 99, rent $1,591); Portland (index 111, rent $1,710). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons. There's an argument to be made — and I think the data supports it — that the cities getting all the attention right now are exactly the wrong places to move. The spotlight drives migration, migration drives demand, demand drives costs, and eventually the value proposition disappears. Meanwhile, cities like this one keep quietly being affordable, and the people who find them early are the ones who benefit most.
Why Dallas ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 99 on the cost index, residents save roughly 13% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,591/month while the median household pulls in $67,760/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 91, though Healthcare (102) lags behind. Home prices average $305,523 — $161,847 below the national median.
If you only look at rent, it's perfect. Zoom out and it's complicated. In Dallas, the healthcare index sits at 102 — not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing about.
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: Dallas, TX — cost index 99, rent $1,591/mo, income $67,760
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 | DallasTX | 99 | $1,591 | Details |
| 2 | PortlandOR | 111 | $1,710 | Details |
1,302,868 residents · Texas
So, Dallas. And in practical terms, cost index of 99, rent at $1,591/month. It's lower than the national average. Median income is $67,760, which is below the national median. It lines up with what you'd expect. Fairly typical for a city this size.
630,498 residents · Oregon
Why Portland ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 111 on the cost index, residents save roughly 1% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,710/month while the median household pulls in $88,792/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 102, though Housing (128) lags behind. Home prices average $524,251 — $56,881 above the national median (we double-checked this one).
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 Portland (ranked #2) has a cost index of 111 and rent of $1,710/mo — a 12-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.