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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 112. San Antonio stands out at 93 on the index, with rent of $1,361/month — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — and household income of $62,917. It's fine. Not great, not bad. Assembled from 2026 Censu…
The numbers are clear: 2 of 2 cities beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. San Antonio stands out at 93 on the index, with rent of $1,361/month — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — and household income of $62,917. It's fine. Not great, not bad. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
What does daily life actually cost in San Antonio? Start with the 26% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. And depending on your situation, on the category level, Housing (index 83) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 96) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $62,917 — and yes, that's adjusted for the region — and homes at $247,132 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
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. And with some exceptions, san Antonio (index 93, rent $1,361); Oklahoma City (index 89, rent $1,255). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
Solidly above average.
No sugarcoating: Now zoom in on the cost categories. Nationally, the 288 cities in our database average a cost index of 112, rent of $1,895/month, and household income of $80,367. The cities in this ranking significantly outperform those benchmarks. This is worth factoring into any relocation decision.
Bottom line: San Antonio, TX leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers. Can we talk about how broken the conversation around affordability is? A city gets labeled 'cheap' and suddenly everyone assumes there's a catch — bad schools, no jobs, nothing to do. But look at the income numbers here. Look at the cost categories. This isn't a budget consolation prize. It's a genuine alternative to the coastal rat race, and the data makes that case more convincingly than any think piece.
#1 Ranked: San Antonio, TX — cost index 93, rent $1,361/mo, income $62,917
2 of 2 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San AntonioTX | 93 | $1,361 | Details |
| 2 | Oklahoma CityOK | 89 | $1,255 | Details |
1,495,295 residents · Texas
Real talk: Here's San Antonio by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 93. Rent: $1,361/month. Income: $62,917/year. Home price: $247,132. Population: 1,495,295. The strongest category is Housing at 83; 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. That could be a concern depending on your priorities.
702,767 residents · Oklahoma
A closer look at Oklahoma City: the cost index of 89 — for better or worse — breaks down to a Housing index of 73 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 92 (weakest). Median rent is $1,255/month — 34% below the national median — while household income sits at $66,702, 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.
San Antonio (ranked #1) has a cost index of 93 and rent of $1,361/mo, while Oklahoma City (ranked #2) has a cost index of 89 and rent of $1,255/mo — a 4-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.