Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices here — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. 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.
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices here — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. 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.
Here's Houston by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 97. Rent: $1,542/month. Income: $62,894/year. Home price: $261,976. Population: 2,314,157. The strongest category is Utilities at 89; the most expensive is Healthcare at 100. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $4,236 per year vs. the national median. That's a strong position by any measure.
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. Houston (index 97, rent $1,542); Portland (index 111, rent $1,710). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
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: 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 | PortlandOR | 111 | $1,710 | Details |
2,314,157 residents · Texas
A closer look at Houston: the cost index of 97 breaks down to a Utilities index of 89 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 100 (weakest). Median rent is $1,542/month — 19% below the national median — while household income sits at $62,894, meaning locals spend about 29% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
630,498 residents · Oregon
The #2 spot goes to Portland, and the breakdown explains why. And in practical terms, renters here pay $1,710/month — saving renters $2,220 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 102, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 128. At a 23% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
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 Portland (ranked #2) has a cost index of 111 and rent of $1,710/mo — a 14-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.