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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Fort Worth stands out at 91 on the index, with rent of $1,554/month and household income of $76,602. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data (more on that below).
The numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Fort Worth stands out at 91 on the index, with rent of $1,554/month and household income of $76,602. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data (more on that below).
At $1,554/month for rent and a cost index of 91, Fort Worth is pretty much what you'd expect from a larger city in this part of the country. Income is $76,602. Fairly typical for a city this size.
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: Fort Worth, TX — cost index 91, rent $1,554/mo, income $76,602
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 | Fort WorthTX | 91 | $1,554 | Details |
| 2 | Colorado SpringsCO | 97 | $1,667 | Details |
978,468 residents · Texas
Here's Fort Worth by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 91. Rent: $1,554/month. Income: $76,602/year. Home price: $295,822. Population: 978,468. The strongest category is Housing at 91; the most expensive is Healthcare at 98. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $4,092 per year vs. the national median. This is worth factoring into any relocation decision.
488,664 residents · Colorado
Why Colorado Springs ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 97 on the cost index, residents save roughly 14% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,667/month while the median household pulls in $83,198/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 97, though Healthcare (99) lags behind. Home prices average $446,132 — $21,238 below the national median.
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.
Fort Worth (ranked #1) has a cost index of 91 and rent of $1,554/mo, while Colorado Springs (ranked #2) has a cost index of 97 and rent of $1,667/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 Fort Worth is $1,554/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $341 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Fort Worth is $295,822, 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.