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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 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.
High income and low costs rarely coexist — but Denver pulls it off. At $91,681 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.
Why Denver ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 106 on the cost index, residents save roughly 5% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,818/month while the median household pulls in $91,681/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 101, though Housing (106) lags behind. Home prices average $530,920 — $63,550 above the national median.
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
1 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 | WashingtonDC | 140 | $2,406 | 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. The delta here is big enough to fund a retirement account.
678,972 residents · District of Columbia
Here's Washington by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 140. Rent: $2,406/month — worth pausing on — . Income: $106,287/year. Home price: $574,016. Population: 678,972. The strongest category is Healthcare at 108; the most expensive is Housing at 140. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $6,132 more per year vs. the national median. That adds up much faster than people realize.
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 Washington (ranked #2) has a cost index of 140 and rent of $2,406/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.