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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The income-cost paradox: Denver pays $91,681 — 14% above the national median — while costing just 106 on the index. And as a general rule, only 40 of 288 tracked cities share this unusual profile. Here's the full 2-city ranking for 2026. Worth a deeper look.
The income-cost paradox: Denver pays $91,681 — 14% above the national median — while costing just 106 on the index. And as a general rule, only 40 of 288 tracked cities share this unusual profile. Here's the full 2-city ranking for 2026. Worth a deeper look.
What does daily life actually cost in Denver? Start with the 24% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. And generally speaking, on the category level, Healthcare (index 101) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 106) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $91,681 and homes at $530,920 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
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: 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 | OklahomaOK | 73 | $1,255 | Details |
716,577 residents · Colorado
Here's Denver by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). And roughly speaking, 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. Over a five-year window, that difference is life-changing.
702,767 residents · Oklahoma
So, Oklahoma. Cost index of 73 — we had to double-check this one — , rent at $1,255/month. It's lower than the national average. Median income is $66,702, which is below the national median. It lines up with what you'd expect.
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 Oklahoma (ranked #2) has a cost index of 73 and rent of $1,255/mo — a 33-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.