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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Look, Dollar for dollar, these cities represent some of the best deals in America. It lines up with what you'd expect. 2 out of 2 cities undercut the national cost index of 111 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — . Leading the pack: El Paso at index 84, where median rent of $1,441/m…
Look, Dollar for dollar, these cities represent some of the best deals in America. It lines up with what you'd expect. 2 out of 2 cities undercut the national cost index of 111 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — . Leading the pack: El Paso at index 84, where median rent of $1,441/month saves renters $5,448/year versus the national median.
A closer look at El Paso: the cost index of 84 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — breaks down to a Housing index of 84 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 97 (weakest). Median rent is $1,441/month — 24% below the national median — while household income sits at $58,734, meaning locals spend about 29% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room (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. And depending on your situation, el Paso (index 84, rent $1,441); Tucson (index 82, rent $1,399). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
Now zoom in on the cost categories. Nationally, the 288 cities in our database average a cost index of 111 — make of that what you will — , rent of $1,895/month, and household income of $80,367. The cities in this ranking significantly outperform those benchmarks. For dual-income households, this multiplies into serious savings. Surprising? Maybe. But the data's clear.
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. And most of the time, 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
678,958 residents · Texas
Here's El Paso by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 84. Rent: $1,441/month — for better or worse — . Income: $58,734/year. Home price: $231,886. Population: 678,958. The strongest category is Housing at 84; the most expensive is Healthcare at 97. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $5,448 per year vs. the national median. From a pure purchasing-power standpoint, this is elite.
547,239 residents · Arizona
Dive into Tucson's numbers: cost index 82 (29 points below national average), rent $1,399/month, income $54,546, and a home price of $321,688. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 82, while Healthcare runs 96. As a major city with 547,239 residents, amenities and job markets are robust (a figure that keeps climbing, by the way).
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 Tucson (ranked #2) has a cost index of 82 and rent of $1,399/mo — a 2-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.