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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Straight up: Dollar for dollar, these cities represent some of the best deals in America. 2 out of 2 cities undercut the national cost index of 111 — worth pausing on — . Leading the pack: San Antonio at index 79, where median rent of $1,361/month saves renters $6,408/year versus the national median…
Straight up: Dollar for dollar, these cities represent some of the best deals in America. 2 out of 2 cities undercut the national cost index of 111 — worth pausing on — . Leading the pack: San Antonio at index 79, where median rent of $1,361/month saves renters $6,408/year versus the national median.
Here's San Antonio by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). And for many people, cost index: 79. That alone makes it worth considering. Rent: $1,361/month. Income: $62,917/year. Home price: $247,132. Population: 1,495,295. The strongest category is Housing at 79; the most expensive is Healthcare at 96. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $6,408 per year vs. the national median. Not many cities can claim this.
One more layer before the full breakdown: Nationally, the 288 cities in our database average a cost index of 111 — not a number you see very often, by the way — , rent of $1,895/month, and household income of $80,367. The cities in this ranking significantly outperform those benchmarks. That's a spread that makes moving costs look trivial (that's pre-tax, of course). A real contender.
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: San Antonio, TX — cost index 79, rent $1,361/mo, income $62,917
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 | San AntonioTX | 79 | $1,361 | Details |
| 2 | MesaAZ | 91 | $1,554 | Details |
1,495,295 residents · Texas
Here's San Antonio by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 79. Rent: $1,361/month. Income: $62,917/year. Home price: $247,132. Population: 1,495,295. The strongest category is Housing at 79; the most expensive is Healthcare at 96. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $6,408 per year vs. the national median. In a market where everything is going up, this stands still — in a good way.
511,648 residents · Arizona
A closer look at Mesa: the cost index of 91 breaks down to a Housing index of 91 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 98 (weakest). Median rent is $1,554/month — 18% below the national median — while household income sits at $78,779, meaning locals spend about 24% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard. Surprising? Maybe. But the data's clear.
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.
San Antonio (ranked #1) has a cost index of 79 and rent of $1,361/mo, while Mesa (ranked #2) has a cost index of 91 and rent of $1,554/mo — a 12-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 San Antonio is $1,361/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $534 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in San Antonio is $247,132, which is 3.9× 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.