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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. Nashville (index 103, rent $1,772/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. Nashville (index 103, rent $1,772/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 2 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026.
Nashville earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 103 cost index sits 8 points below the national baseline, and the $75,197 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $429,861 — $37,509 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Healthcare leads the way at 101, while Housing trails at 103. If you've been scrolling through listings in high-cost metros and feeling defeated, look at these numbers again. Seriously. The difference between renting here and renting in a major coastal city could literally fund a retirement account. That's not hyperbole — run the math yourself. A thousand dollars a month saved, compounded over a decade, is a down payment on a house. In this city, that math actually works.
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. Nashville (index 103, rent $1,772); Portland (index 100, rent $1,710). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
If the first stat impressed you, this one grounds it. 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. That's a margin of safety most budgets don't have.
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: Nashville, TN — cost index 103, rent $1,772/mo, income $75,197
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 | NashvilleTN | 103 | $1,772 | Details |
| 2 | PortlandOR | 100 | $1,710 | Details |
687,788 residents · Tennessee
A closer look at Nashville: the cost index of 103 breaks down to a Healthcare index of 101 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 103 (weakest). Median rent is $1,772/month — 6% below the national median — while household income sits at $75,197, meaning locals spend about 28% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
630,498 residents · Oregon
What does daily life actually cost in Portland? Start with the 23% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Healthcare (index 100) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 100) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $88,792 and homes at $524,251 round out a profile that ranks #2 for clear reasons.
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.
Nashville (ranked #1) has a cost index of 103 and rent of $1,772/mo, while Portland (ranked #2) has a cost index of 100 and rent of $1,710/mo — a 3-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 Nashville is $1,772/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $123 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Nashville is $429,861, which is 5.7× 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.