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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 111. Oklahoma stands out at 73 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 111. Oklahoma stands out at 73 on the index, with rent of $1,255/month and household income of $66,702. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
Oklahoma comes in at #1. And on balance, rent is $1,255 a month. Household income is $66,702. The cost of living index is 73. There's not much to say about that beyond the obvious (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
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, OK — cost index 73, rent $1,255/mo, income $66,702
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 | OklahomaOK | 73 | $1,255 | Details |
| 2 | RaleighNC | 92 | $1,567 | Details |
702,767 residents · Oklahoma
At $1,255/month for rent and a cost index of 73, Oklahoma is pretty much what you'd expect from a larger city in this part of the country. Income is $66,702. It lines up with what you'd expect.
482,295 residents · North Carolina
Here's Raleigh by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). And as far as the data shows, cost index: 92. Rent: $1,567/month — we had to double-check this one — . Income: $82,424/year. Home price: $428,831. Population: 482,295. The strongest category is Housing at 92; the most expensive is Healthcare at 98. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $3,936 per year vs. the national median. That's a meaningful edge in practice.
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 (ranked #1) has a cost index of 73 and rent of $1,255/mo, while Raleigh (ranked #2) has a cost index of 92 and rent of $1,567/mo — a 19-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 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 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.