Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
High income and low costs rarely coexist — but Denver pulls it off. At $91,681 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — median household income and a 106 cost index, residents enjoy purchasing power that 19% exceeds the national average. We found this pattern across 2 cities using 2026 …
High income and low costs rarely coexist — but Denver pulls it off. At $91,681 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — median household income and a 106 cost index, residents enjoy purchasing power that 19% exceeds the national average. We found this pattern across 2 cities using 2026 data.
The #1 spot goes to Denver, and the breakdown explains why. And roughly speaking, renters here pay $1,818/month — saving renters $924 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Healthcare is the standout at index 101, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 106. At a 24% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
Bottom line: Denver, CO leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
#1 Ranked: Denver, CO — cost index 106, rent $1,818/mo, income $91,681
Denver: 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 | DenverCO | 106 | $1,818 | Details |
| 2 | LouisvilleKY | 79 | $1,352 | Details |
716,577 residents · Colorado
Here's Denver by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 106. Rent: $1,818/month. Income: $91,681/year. Home price: $530,920. Population: 716,577. The strongest category is Healthcare at 101; the most expensive is Housing at 106. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $924 per year vs. the national median. That's a margin of safety most budgets don't have.
622,981 residents · Kentucky
Here's Louisville by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 79. Rent: $1,352/month — for better or worse — . Income: $64,731/year. Home price: $259,139. Population: 622,981. The strongest category is Housing at 79; the most expensive is Healthcare at 96. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $6,516 per year vs. the national median. That ratio is hard to beat anywhere else.
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.
Denver (ranked #1) has a cost index of 106 and rent of $1,818/mo, while Louisville (ranked #2) has a cost index of 79 and rent of $1,352/mo — a 27-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 Denver is $1,818/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $77 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Denver is $530,920, which is 5.8× 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.