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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
In plain English: Nobody expects rock-bottom prices here — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. And with some exceptions, it lines up with what you'd expect. Houston (index 97, rent $1,542/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 2 cities to find where yo…
In plain English: Nobody expects rock-bottom prices here — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. And with some exceptions, it lines up with what you'd expect. Houston (index 97, rent $1,542/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 2 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026.
Look, the numbers for Houston are straightforward: 97 on the cost index, $1,542/month rent, $62,894 income. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. You get the picture (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
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 for many people, that's about what we'd expect given the state context. Houston (index 97, rent $1,542); Colorado Springs (index 107, rent $1,667). 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. Nationally, the 288 cities in our database average a cost index of 112, rent of $1,895/month, and household income of $80,367. The cities in this ranking significantly outperform those benchmarks. For anyone running the numbers, this is where it clicks.
Put it this way: Bottom line: Houston, TX leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers (a figure that keeps climbing, by the way).
#1 Ranked: Houston, TX — cost index 97, rent $1,542/mo, income $62,894
2 of 2 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HoustonTX | 97 | $1,542 | Details |
| 2 | Colorado SpringsCO | 107 | $1,667 | Details |
2,314,157 residents · Texas
Look, So, Houston. Cost index of 97, rent at $1,542/month. It's lower than the national average. Median income is $62,894, which is below the national median. That's about what we'd expect given the state context. No gimmicks — just good numbers.
488,664 residents · Colorado
Why Colorado Springs ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. No major red flags in that number. At 107 on the cost index, residents save roughly 5% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,667/month — for better or worse — while the median household pulls in $83,198/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 98, though Housing (118) 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.
Houston (ranked #1) has a cost index of 97 and rent of $1,542/mo, while Colorado Springs (ranked #2) has a cost index of 107 and rent of $1,667/mo — a 10-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 Houston is $1,542/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $353 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Houston is $261,976, which is 4.2× 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.