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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Let's be honest: these cities aren't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Sacramento proves it with a cost index of 117 — for better or worse — , and we've ranked all 2 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive land…
Let's be honest: these cities aren't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Sacramento proves it with a cost index of 117 — for better or worse — , and we've ranked all 2 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscape.
Why Sacramento ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 117 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 6% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $2,006/month while the median household pulls in $83,753/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 103, though Housing (117) lags behind. Home prices average $472,863 — $5,493 above the national median.
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. Sacramento (index 117, rent $2,006); Colorado Springs (index 97, rent $1,667). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
Keep reading — the next section adds critical context. Nationally, the 288 cities in our database average a cost index of 111, rent of $1,895/month, and household income of $80,367. The cities in this ranking challenge those benchmarks. In the context of rising national rents, this stability is worth noting.
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: Sacramento, CA — cost index 117, rent $2,006/mo, income $83,753
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 | SacramentoCA | 117 | $2,006 | Details |
| 2 | Colorado SpringsCO | 97 | $1,667 | Details |
526,384 residents · California
A closer look at Sacramento: the cost index of 117 breaks down to a Healthcare index of 103 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 117 (weakest). Median rent is $2,006/month — 6% above the national median — while household income sits at $83,753, meaning locals spend about 29% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room. Below the radar, but not for long.
488,664 residents · Colorado
What does daily life actually cost in Colorado Springs? Start with the 24% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Housing (index 97) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 99) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $83,198 and homes at $446,132 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.
Sacramento (ranked #1) has a cost index of 117 and rent of $2,006/mo, while Colorado Springs (ranked #2) has a cost index of 97 and rent of $1,667/mo — a 20-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 Sacramento is $2,006/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $111 above the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Sacramento is $472,863, which is 5.6× 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.