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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Oklahoma City stands out at 89 on the index, with rent of $1,255/month and household income of $66,702. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
The numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Oklahoma City stands out at 89 on the index, with rent of $1,255/month and household income of $66,702. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
Why Oklahoma City ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 89 on the cost index, residents save roughly 23% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,255/month while the median household pulls in $66,702/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 73, though Healthcare (92) lags behind. Home prices average $203,329 — $264,041 below the national median.
There's more to the story, though. The national baseline: 112 cost index, $1,895/month rent, $80,367 household income. That's the yardstick. The cities ranked here blow past it — starting with Oklahoma City at just 89 on the index.
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: Oklahoma City, OK — cost index 89, rent $1,255/mo, income $66,702
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 | Oklahoma CityOK | 89 | $1,255 | Details |
| 2 | MesaAZ | 105 | $1,554 | Details |
702,767 residents · Oklahoma
A closer look at Oklahoma City: the cost index of 89 breaks down to a Housing index of 73 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 92 (weakest). And as far as the data shows, median rent is $1,255/month — 34% below the national median — while household income sits at $66,702, meaning locals spend about 23% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
511,648 residents · Arizona
Look, Here's Mesa by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 105. Rent: $1,554/month. Income: $78,779/year. Home price: $432,764. Population: 511,648. The strongest category is Utilities at 96; the most expensive is Housing at 112. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $4,092 per year vs. the national median. Not many cities can claim this.
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.
Oklahoma City (ranked #1) has a cost index of 89 and rent of $1,255/mo, while Mesa (ranked #2) has a cost index of 105 and rent of $1,554/mo — a 16-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 Oklahoma City is $1,255/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $640 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Oklahoma City is $203,329, which is 3.0× the local median income. That's within the standard 3.5× affordability rule for most local earners. 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.