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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices here — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. Los Angeles (index 147 — for better or worse — , rent $2,742/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 2 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026.
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices here — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. Los Angeles (index 147 — for better or worse — , rent $2,742/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 2 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026.
Dive into Los Angeles's numbers: cost index 147 (35 points above national average), rent $2,742/month, income $80,366, and a home price of $941,985. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 135, while Housing runs 217. As a major city with 3,820,914 residents, amenities and job markets are robust.
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. Los Angeles (index 147, rent $2,742); Kansas (index 94, rent $1,418). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
Flip the lens, and you get a different read: Nationally, the 288 cities in our database average a cost index of 112, rent of $1,895/month, and household income of $80,367. And for the typical household, pretty standard for this type of city. The cities in this ranking challenge those benchmarks. If two cities have the same income, this cost gap is the tiebreaker.
Bottom line: Los Angeles, CA leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. And broadly, click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
#1 Ranked: Los Angeles, CA — cost index 147, rent $2,742/mo, income $80,366
1 of 2 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los AngelesCA | 147 | $2,742 | Details |
| 2 | KansasMO | 94 | $1,418 | Details |
3,820,914 residents · California
A closer look at Los Angeles: the cost index of 147 breaks down to a Utilities index of 135 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 217 (weakest). And in most cases, median rent is $2,742/month — 45% above the national median — while household income sits at $80,366, meaning locals spend about 41% of income on rent. That exceeds the recommended 30% threshold — affordability here depends on earning above the median.
510,704 residents · Missouri
Kansas earns its position at #2 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 94 cost index sits 18 points below the national baseline, and the $67,449 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $245,199 — $222,171 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 85, while Healthcare trails at 97.
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.
Los Angeles (ranked #1) has a cost index of 147 and rent of $2,742/mo, while Kansas (ranked #2) has a cost index of 94 and rent of $1,418/mo — a 53-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 Los Angeles is $2,742/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $847 above the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Los Angeles is $941,985, which is 11.7× 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.