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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. San Francisco proves it with a cost index of 224 — for better or worse — , and we've ranked all 2 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive l…
Let's be honest: these cities aren't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. San Francisco proves it with a cost index of 224 — for better or worse — , and we've ranked all 2 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscape.
Here's the thing: San Francisco is one of the cheaper options here. And most of the time, rent is $3,830/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 224. Income sits at $141,446. That tracks (your mileage may vary — literally). Solidly above average.
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. San Francisco (index 224, rent $3,830); Boston (index 205, rent $3,510). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
Against the national baseline, though: Nationally, the 288 cities in our database average a cost index of 111, rent of $1,895/month, and household income of $80,367. You get the picture. The cities in this ranking challenge those benchmarks. For families with student loans, that cost gap is a second income.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. And as far as the data shows, 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 Francisco, CA — cost index 224, rent $3,830/mo, income $141,446
0 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 FranciscoCA | 224 | $3,830 | Details |
| 2 | BostonMA | 205 | $3,510 | Details |
808,988 residents · California
In plain English: San Francisco is one of the cheaper options here. Rent is $3,830/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 224. Income sits at $141,446. That's about what we'd expect given the state context.
653,833 residents · Massachusetts
Look, at $3,510/month — for better or worse — for rent and a cost index of 205, Boston is pretty much what you'd expect from a larger city in this part of the country. And from what we can tell, income is $94,755. That alone makes it worth considering.
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 Francisco (ranked #1) has a cost index of 224 and rent of $3,830/mo, while Boston (ranked #2) has a cost index of 205 and rent of $3,510/mo — a 19-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 Francisco is $3,830/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $1,935 above the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in San Francisco is $1,299,230, which is 9.2× 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.