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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. Omaha stands out at 82 on the index, with rent of $1,403/month — for better or worse — and household income of $72,708. 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. Omaha stands out at 82 on the index, with rent of $1,403/month — for better or worse — and household income of $72,708. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
Why Omaha ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 82 on the cost index, residents save roughly 29% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,403/month while the median household pulls in $72,708/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 82, though Healthcare (96) lags behind. Home prices average $288,850 — $178,520 below the national median (though the trend is moving in the right direction).
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. Omaha (index 82, rent $1,403); Raleigh (index 92, rent $1,567). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
Omaha rent up 3% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked Omaha has increased from $1,359 to $1,403/mo over the past 12 months — a 3% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time.
What makes this tricky: For context: the typical American city has a cost index of 111 — for better or worse — , pays $1,895/month in rent, and earns $80,367 per household. The top-ranked cities here tell a dramatically different story — one that's worth exploring city by city.
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 (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
#1 Ranked: Omaha, NE — cost index 82, rent $1,403/mo, income $72,708
Omaha rent up 3% over the past year
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
483,335 residents · Nebraska
Why Omaha ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 82 on the cost index, residents save roughly 29% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,403/month — for better or worse — while the median household pulls in $72,708/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 82, though Healthcare (96) lags behind. Home prices average $288,850 — $178,520 below the national median.
482,295 residents · North Carolina
A closer look at Raleigh: the cost index of 92 breaks down to a Housing index of 92 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 98 (weakest). Median rent is $1,567/month — 17% below the national median — while household income sits at $82,424, meaning locals spend about 23% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
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.
Omaha (ranked #1) has a cost index of 82 and rent of $1,403/mo, while Raleigh (ranked #2) has a cost index of 92 and rent of $1,567/mo — a 10-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 Omaha is $1,403/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $492 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Omaha is $288,850, which is 4.0× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. 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.