Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
These cities are a genuine bargain: 2 of the 2 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Fort Worth leads at an index of 91 with rent at just $1,554/month — 18% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
These cities are a genuine bargain: 2 of the 2 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Fort Worth leads at an index of 91 with rent at just $1,554/month — 18% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
Dive into Fort Worth's numbers: cost index 91 — a detail that tends to get overlooked — (20 points below national average), rent $1,554/month, income $76,602, and a home price of $295,822. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 91, while Healthcare runs 98. As a major city with 978,468 residents, amenities and job markets are robust.
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 from what we can tell, fort Worth (index 91, rent $1,554); Omaha (index 82, rent $1,403). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
Worth a deeper look.
Look, What you won't find on most comparison sites: 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. That's a red flag worth investigating further.
In plain English: Rankings quantify the landscape. But the decision to move is personal. Use the spotlights above to zero in on 2-3 finalists, then run your actual salary through the calculator. The question isn't just "where is it cheapest?" — it's "where does my specific income buy the life I want?" Start here. Dig deeper on the linked city pages.
#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 | OmahaNE | 82 | $1,403 | Details |
978,468 residents · Texas
Straight up: 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 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — . 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. That's the kind of affordability that turns 'maybe someday' into 'next month.'
483,335 residents · Nebraska
Here's Omaha by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 82. Rent: $1,403/month. Income: $72,708/year. Home price: $288,850. Population: 483,335. The strongest category is Housing at 82; the most expensive is Healthcare at 96. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $5,904 per year vs. the national median. For dual-income households, this multiplies into serious savings.
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 Omaha (ranked #2) has a cost index of 82 and rent of $1,403/mo — a 9-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.