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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Dollar for dollar, these cities represent some of the best deals in America. 2 out of 2 cities undercut the national cost index of 111 — worth pausing on — . Leading the pack: Las Vegas at index 99, where median rent of $1,695/month saves renters $2,400/year versus the national median.
Dollar for dollar, these cities represent some of the best deals in America. 2 out of 2 cities undercut the national cost index of 111 — worth pausing on — . Leading the pack: Las Vegas at index 99, where median rent of $1,695/month saves renters $2,400/year versus the national median.
Why Las Vegas ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 99 on the cost index, residents save roughly 12% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,695/month — for better or worse — while the median household pulls in $70,723/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 99, though Healthcare (100) lags behind. Home prices average $422,842 — $44,528 below the national median (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling). That's not nothing.
(Tangentially — this is the kind of city where you can actually build equity on a median salary, which is increasingly rare.) (a figure that keeps climbing, by the way).
None of this exists in a vacuum, though. The national baseline: 111 cost index, $1,895/month rent, $80,367 household income. That's the yardstick. The cities ranked here blow past it — starting with Las Vegas at just 99 on the index.
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: Las Vegas, NV — cost index 99, rent $1,695/mo, income $70,723
2 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 | MesaAZ | 91 | $1,554 | Details |
660,929 residents · Nevada
Las Vegas earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. And more often than not, the 99 cost index sits 12 points below the national baseline, and the $70,723 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $422,842 — $44,528 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 99, while Healthcare trails at 100.
511,648 residents · Arizona
Dive into Mesa's numbers: cost index 91 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — (20 points below national average), rent $1,554/month, income $78,779, and a home price of $432,764. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 91, while Healthcare runs 98. As a major city with 511,648 residents, amenities and job markets are robust (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
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 Mesa (ranked #2) has a cost index of 91 and rent of $1,554/mo — a 8-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.