Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Let's be honest: these cities aren't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Jacksonville proves it with a cost index of 92, and we've ranked all 2 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscape.
Let's be honest: these cities aren't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Jacksonville proves it with a cost index of 92, and we've ranked all 2 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscape.
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. Jacksonville (index 92 — we had to double-check this one — , rent $1,576); Miami (index 173, rent $2,964). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
Here's Jacksonville by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 92. Rent: $1,576/month. Income: $66,981/year. Home price: $282,367. Population: 985,843. The strongest category is Housing at 92; the most expensive is Healthcare at 98. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $3,828 per year vs. the national median. On a fixed income, this is the metric that matters most. Can we talk about how broken the conversation around affordability is? A city gets labeled 'cheap' and suddenly everyone assumes there's a catch — bad schools, no jobs, nothing to do. But look at the income numbers here. Look at the cost categories. This isn't a budget consolation prize. It's a genuine alternative to the coastal rat race, and the data makes that case more convincingly than any think piece.
It checks most boxes — but the healthcare costs are the asterisk. In Jacksonville, 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 (your mileage may vary — literally).
#1 Ranked: Jacksonville, FL — cost index 92, rent $1,576/mo, income $66,981
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 | JacksonvilleFL | 92 | $1,576 | Details |
| 2 | MiamiFL | 173 | $2,964 | Details |
985,843 residents · Florida
What does daily life actually cost in Jacksonville? Start with the 28% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. And in most cases, on the category level, Housing (index 92) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 98) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $66,981 — for better or worse — and homes at $282,367 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
455,924 residents · Florida
Why Miami ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 173 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 62% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $2,964/month — for better or worse — while the median household pulls in $59,390/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 115, though Housing (173) lags behind. Home prices average $573,963 — $106,593 above 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.
Jacksonville (ranked #1) has a cost index of 92 and rent of $1,576/mo, while Miami (ranked #2) has a cost index of 173 and rent of $2,964/mo — a 81-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 Jacksonville is $1,576/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $319 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Jacksonville is $282,367, 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.