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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Straight up: the numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Las Vegas stands out at 99 on the index, with rent of $1,695/month and household income of $70,723. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
Straight up: the numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Las Vegas stands out at 99 on the index, with rent of $1,695/month and household income of $70,723. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
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 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 (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
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. Las Vegas (index 99, rent $1,695); Raleigh (index 92, rent $1,567). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
Worth noting: 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 | RaleighNC | 92 | $1,567 | Details |
660,929 residents · Nevada
Las Vegas is one of the cheaper options here. Rent is $1,695/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 99. Income sits at $70,723. That's about what we'd expect given the state context.
482,295 residents · North Carolina
Dive into Raleigh's numbers: cost index 92 (19 points below national average), rent $1,567/month, income $82,424, and a home price of $428,831. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 92, while Healthcare runs 98. With 482,295 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
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 Raleigh (ranked #2) has a cost index of 92 and rent of $1,567/mo — a 7-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.