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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Portland breaks the usual trade-off between income and cost of living. And for the typical household, most affordable cities pay less — but Portland delivers a median household income of $88,792 — though some people might weigh that differently — (10% above the national median) while keeping costs …
Portland breaks the usual trade-off between income and cost of living. And for the typical household, most affordable cities pay less — but Portland delivers a median household income of $88,792 — though some people might weigh that differently — (10% above the national median) while keeping costs 11 points below national average. That's a rare combination shared by only 40 of the 288 cities we track.
Portland is one of the cheaper options here. And as far as the data shows, rent is $1,710/month — we had to double-check this one — , which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 100. Income sits at $88,792. Nothing too surprising there. Below the radar, but not for long.
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. The definition of value.
#1 Ranked: Portland, OR — cost index 100, rent $1,710/mo, income $88,792
Portland: high income, low cost — a rare combo
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 | PortlandOR | 100 | $1,710 | Details |
| 2 | MesaAZ | 91 | $1,554 | Details |
630,498 residents · Oregon
Portland earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 100 cost index sits 11 points below the national baseline, and the $88,792 median income means purchasing power here is genuinely above average. Homes list at $524,251 — $56,881 above the national median, reflecting the metro premium. Fairly typical for a city this size. On the cost side, Healthcare leads the way at 100, while Healthcare trails at 100.
511,648 residents · Arizona
Real talk: Dive into Mesa's numbers: cost index 91 (20 points below national average), rent $1,554/month, income $78,779, and a home price of $432,764. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 91, while Healthcare runs 98. As a major city with 511,648 residents, amenities and job markets are robust.
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.
Portland (ranked #1) has a cost index of 100 and rent of $1,710/mo, while Mesa (ranked #2) has a cost index of 91 and rent of $1,554/mo — a 9-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 Portland is $1,710/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $185 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Portland is $524,251, which is 5.9× 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.