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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. New York (index 216 — we had to double-check this one — , rent $3,706/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. New York (index 216 — we had to double-check this one — , rent $3,706/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 2 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026.
The real story isn't in the ranking — it's in the details below. New York rent up 4% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked New York has increased from $3,558 to $3,706/mo over the past 12 months — a 4% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time. From a pure purchasing-power standpoint, this is elite.
A closer look at New York: the cost index of 216 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — breaks down to a Healthcare index of 123 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 216 (weakest). Median rent is $3,706/month — 96% above the national median — while household income sits at $79,713, meaning locals spend about 56% of income on rent. That exceeds the recommended 30% threshold — affordability here depends on earning above the median.
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. New York (index 216 — for better or worse — , rent $3,706); El Paso (index 84, rent $1,441). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons (which, to be fair, is a metric that favors smaller cities).
There's more to the story, though. The national baseline: 111 cost index, $1,895/month — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — rent, $80,367 household income. That's the yardstick. The cities ranked here complicate that picture in ways that matter for anyone actually planning a move (that's pre-tax, of course).
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. And on balance, 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. Hard to argue with that.
#1 Ranked: New York, NY — cost index 216, rent $3,706/mo, income $79,713
New York rent up 4% over the past year
1 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 | New YorkNY | 216 | $3,706 | Details |
| 2 | El PasoTX | 84 | $1,441 | Details |
8,258,035 residents · New York
So, New York. And roughly speaking, cost index of 216 — worth pausing on — , rent at $3,706/month. It's higher than the national average. Median income is $79,713, which is below the national median. That's about what we'd expect given the state context.
678,958 residents · Texas
Frankly, Here's El Paso by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). And for many people, cost index: 84. Rent: $1,441/month. Income: $58,734/year. Home price: $231,886. Population: 678,958. The strongest category is Housing at 84; the most expensive is Healthcare at 97. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $5,448 per year vs. the national median. That's a margin of safety most budgets don't have.
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.
New York (ranked #1) has a cost index of 216 and rent of $3,706/mo, while El Paso (ranked #2) has a cost index of 84 and rent of $1,441/mo — a 132-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 New York is $3,706/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $1,811 above the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in New York is $812,534, which is 10.2× 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.