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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. Fresno stands out at 99 on the index, with rent of $1,693/month and household income of $66,804. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
The numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Fresno stands out at 99 on the index, with rent of $1,693/month and household income of $66,804. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
Dive into Fresno's numbers: cost index 99 (12 points below national average), rent $1,693/month, income $66,804, and a home price of $386,426. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 99, while Healthcare runs 100. As a major city with 545,716 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. Fresno (index 99, rent $1,693); Raleigh (index 92, rent $1,567). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
The trade-off becomes clearer when you add healthcare into the mix. For context: the typical American city has a cost index of 111, pays $1,895/month in rent, and earns $80,367 per household. The top-ranked cities here tell a dramatically different story — one that's worth exploring city by city.
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: Fresno, CA — cost index 99, rent $1,693/mo, income $66,804
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
545,716 residents · California
At $1,693/month for rent and a cost index of 99, Fresno is pretty much what you'd expect from a larger city in this part of the country. Income is $66,804. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is.
482,295 residents · North Carolina
Dive into Raleigh's numbers: cost index 92 (19 points below national average), rent $1,567/month, income $82,424, and a home price of $428,831. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 92, while Healthcare runs 98. With 482,295 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs (that's pre-tax, of course).
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.
Fresno (ranked #1) has a cost index of 99 and rent of $1,693/mo, while Raleigh (ranked #2) has a cost index of 92 and rent of $1,567/mo — a 7-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 Fresno is $1,693/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $202 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Fresno is $386,426, 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.