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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Premium market, smart picks: while the market trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Denver at index 106 — for better or worse — is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving a desirable market. Worth a …
Premium market, smart picks: while the market trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Denver at index 106 — for better or worse — is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving a desirable market. Worth a deeper look.
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, rent $1,818); Portland (index 100, rent $1,710). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
The numbers for Denver are straightforward: 106 on the cost index, $1,818/month rent, $91,681 income. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is.
It checks most boxes — but the housing costs are the asterisk. In Denver, the housing index sits at 106 — above average and worth factoring in (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
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 (that's pre-tax, of course).
#1 Ranked: Denver, CO — cost index 106, rent $1,818/mo, income $91,681
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 | PortlandOR | 100 | $1,710 | Details |
716,577 residents · Colorado
Straight up: the #1 spot goes to Denver, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,818/month — worth pausing on — — 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.
630,498 residents · Oregon
Dive into Portland's numbers: cost index 100 (11 points below national average), rent $1,710/month, income $88,792, and a home price of $524,251. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Healthcare is the cheapest category at 100, while Healthcare runs 100. As a major city with 630,498 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.
Denver (ranked #1) has a cost index of 106 and rent of $1,818/mo, while Portland (ranked #2) has a cost index of 100 and rent of $1,710/mo — a 6-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.