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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Denver breaks the usual trade-off between income and cost of living. And in most cases, take it or leave it — the data is what it is. Most affordable cities pay less — but Denver delivers a median household income of $91,681 (14% above the national median) while keeping costs 5 points below national…
Denver breaks the usual trade-off between income and cost of living. And in most cases, take it or leave it — the data is what it is. Most affordable cities pay less — but Denver delivers a median household income of $91,681 (14% above the national median) while keeping costs 5 points below national average. That's a rare combination shared by only 40 of the 288 cities we track.
At $1,818/month for rent and a cost index of 106, Denver is pretty much what you'd expect from a larger city in this part of the country. It's fine. Not great, not bad. Income is $91,681. There's not much to say about that beyond the obvious (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
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. Denver (index 106 — for better or worse — , rent $1,818); Memphis (index 72, rent $1,234). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
The math checks out.
Frankly, the state-level view adds helpful context here. And from what we can tell, about what you'd guess. For context: the typical American city has a cost index of 111, pays $1,895/month in rent, and earns $80,367 per household. The top-ranked cities here tell a dramatically different story — one that's worth exploring city by city.
Look, 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. It's fine. Not great, not bad. The data is here; the decision is yours (that's pre-tax, of course).
#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
716,577 residents · Colorado
Denver comes in at #1. And in practical terms, standard stuff, really. Rent is $1,818 — and that's before you even look at taxes — a month. Household income is $91,681. The cost of living index is 106. That's about what we'd expect given the state context.
618,639 residents · Tennessee
Look, So, Memphis. Cost index of 72 — we had to double-check this one — , rent at $1,234/month. Fairly typical for a city this size. It's lower than the national average. Median income is $51,211, which is below the national median. You get the picture.
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 Memphis (ranked #2) has a cost index of 72 and rent of $1,234/mo — a 34-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.