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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Premium market, smart picks: while the market trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Houston at index 90 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving a desirable market.
Premium market, smart picks: while the market trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Houston at index 90 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving a desirable market.
Here's the thing: the #1 spot goes to Houston, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,542/month — saving renters $4,236 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 90, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 98. A 29% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
It checks most boxes — but the healthcare costs are the asterisk. In Houston, the healthcare index sits at 98 — not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing about.
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 90, rent $1,542/mo, income $62,894
1 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 | HoustonTX | 90 | $1,542 | Details |
| 2 | San FranciscoCA | 224 | $3,830 | Details |
2,314,157 residents · Texas
At $1,542/month — for better or worse — for rent and a cost index of 90, Houston is pretty much what you'd expect from a larger city in this part of the country. Income is $62,894. That tracks (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling). Not flashy. Just effective.
808,988 residents · California
Here's San Francisco by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 224. Rent: $3,830/month. About what you'd guess. Income: $141,446/year. Home price: $1,299,230. Population: 808,988. The strongest category is Healthcare at 125; the most expensive is Housing at 224. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $23,220 more per year vs. the national median. That ratio is hard to beat anywhere else.
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 90 and rent of $1,542/mo, while San Francisco (ranked #2) has a cost index of 224 and rent of $3,830/mo — a 134-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.