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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Premium market, smart picks: while the market trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Oklahoma at index 73 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leavin…
Premium market, smart picks: while the market trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Oklahoma at index 73 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving a desirable market.
Here's Oklahoma by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 73. Rent: $1,255/month. Income: $66,702/year. Home price: $203,329. Population: 702,767. The strongest category is Housing at 73; the most expensive is Healthcare at 95. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $7,680 per year vs. the national median. That's a number worth sharing with anyone who says affordable cities can't have good jobs.
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. Oklahoma (index 73, rent $1,255); Washington (index 140, rent $2,406). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
Quietly competitive.
In plain English: What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. 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.
#1 Ranked: Oklahoma, OK — cost index 73, rent $1,255/mo, income $66,702
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 | OklahomaOK | 73 | $1,255 | Details |
| 2 | WashingtonDC | 140 | $2,406 | Details |
702,767 residents · Oklahoma
Oklahoma is one of the cheaper options here. Rent is $1,255/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 73. Income sits at $66,702. Fairly typical for a city this size.
678,972 residents · District of Columbia
What does daily life actually cost in Washington? Start with the 27% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Healthcare (index 108) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 140) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $106,287 and homes at $574,016 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.
Oklahoma (ranked #1) has a cost index of 73 and rent of $1,255/mo, while Washington (ranked #2) has a cost index of 140 and rent of $2,406/mo — a 67-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.