Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
These cities are a genuine bargain: 2 of the 2 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. And broadly, louisville leads at an index of 94 with rent at just $1,352/month — 29% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated …
These cities are a genuine bargain: 2 of the 2 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. And broadly, louisville leads at an index of 94 with rent at just $1,352/month — 29% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
Here's Louisville by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 94. Rent: $1,352/month. Income: $64,731/year. Home price: $259,139. Population: 622,981. The strongest category is Housing at 84; the most expensive is Healthcare at 96. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $6,516 per year vs. the national median. That gap is hard to ignore.
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.
#1 Ranked: Louisville, KY — cost index 94, rent $1,352/mo, income $64,731
2 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 | LouisvilleKY | 94 | $1,352 | Details |
| 2 | KansasMO | 94 | $1,418 | Details |
622,981 residents · Kentucky
A closer look at Louisville: the cost index of 94 breaks down to a Housing index of 84 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 96 (weakest). Median rent is $1,352/month — 29% below the national median — while household income sits at $64,731, meaning locals spend about 25% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
510,704 residents · Missouri
Here's Kansas by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 94. Rent: $1,418/month. Income: $67,449/year. Home price: $245,199. Population: 510,704. The strongest category is Housing at 85; the most expensive is Healthcare at 97. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $5,724 per year vs. the national median. That's the sort of advantage that turns renters into homeowners.
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.
Louisville (ranked #1) has a cost index of 94 and rent of $1,352/mo, while Kansas (ranked #2) has a cost index of 94 and rent of $1,418/mo — a 0-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 Louisville is $1,352/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $543 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Louisville is $259,139, which is 4.0× 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.