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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. Las Vegas at index 99 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. Las Vegas at index 99 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving a desirable market.
The #1 spot goes to Las Vegas, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,695/month — saving renters $2,400 per year compared to the national average. It's fine. Not great, not bad. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 99, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 100. A 29% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
Now, stack that against what people actually earn here: Nationally, the 288 cities in our database average a cost index of 111, rent of $1,895/month, and household income of $80,367. The cities in this ranking significantly outperform those benchmarks. For dual-income households, this multiplies into serious savings (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours. 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.
#1 Ranked: Las Vegas, NV — cost index 99, rent $1,695/mo, income $70,723
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 | Las VegasNV | 99 | $1,695 | Details |
| 2 | BostonMA | 205 | $3,510 | Details |
660,929 residents · Nevada
Here's Las Vegas by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 99. Rent: $1,695/month — worth pausing on — . Income: $70,723/year. Home price: $422,842. Population: 660,929. The strongest category is Housing at 99; the most expensive is Healthcare at 100. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,400 per year vs. the national median. Not many cities can claim this.
653,833 residents · Massachusetts
Frankly, Why Boston ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 205 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 94% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $3,510/month while the median household pulls in $94,755/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 121, though Housing (205) lags behind. Home prices average $768,702 — $301,332 above the national median (a figure that keeps climbing, by the way).
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.
Las Vegas (ranked #1) has a cost index of 99 and rent of $1,695/mo, while Boston (ranked #2) has a cost index of 205 and rent of $3,510/mo — a 106-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 Las Vegas is $1,695/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $200 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Las Vegas is $422,842, which is 6.0× 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.