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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Straight up: the numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. El Paso stands out at 84 on the index, with rent of $1,441/month and household income of $58,734. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
Straight up: the numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. El Paso stands out at 84 on the index, with rent of $1,441/month and household income of $58,734. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
So, El Paso. Cost index of 84, rent at $1,441/month. It's lower than the national average. Median income is $58,734, which is below the national median. No major red flags in that number.
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. El Paso (index 84, rent $1,441); Louisville (index 79, rent $1,352). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
What makes this tricky: Nationally, the 288 cities in our database average a cost index of 111, rent of $1,895/month, and household income of $80,367. The cities in this ranking significantly outperform those benchmarks. Year over year, that savings rate is portfolio-grade.
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.
#1 Ranked: El Paso, TX — cost index 84, rent $1,441/mo, income $58,734
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 | El PasoTX | 84 | $1,441 | Details |
| 2 | LouisvilleKY | 79 | $1,352 | Details |
678,958 residents · Texas
In plain English: the #1 spot goes to El Paso, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,441/month — saving renters $5,448 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 84, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 97. A 29% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
622,981 residents · Kentucky
The #2 spot goes to Louisville, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,352/month — saving renters $6,516 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 79, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 96. A 25% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
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.
El Paso (ranked #1) has a cost index of 84 and rent of $1,441/mo, while Louisville (ranked #2) has a cost index of 79 and rent of $1,352/mo — a 5-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 El Paso is $1,441/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $454 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in El Paso is $231,886, which is 3.9× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. 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.