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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. Seattle proves it with a cost index of 128, and we've ranked all 2 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscape.
Let's be honest: these cities aren't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Seattle proves it with a cost index of 128, and we've ranked all 2 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscape.
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. Seattle (index 128, rent $2,187); El Paso (index 84, rent $1,441). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
Why Seattle ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 128 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 17% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $2,187/month while the median household pulls in $121,984/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 106, though Housing (128) lags behind. Home prices average $848,869 — $381,499 above the national median.
Bottom line: Seattle, WA 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.
#1 Ranked: Seattle, WA — cost index 128, rent $2,187/mo, income $121,984
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
755,078 residents · Washington
Why Seattle ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 128 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 17% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $2,187/month while the median household pulls in $121,984/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 106, though Housing (128) lags behind. Home prices average $848,869 — $381,499 above the national median.
678,958 residents · Texas
Why El Paso ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 84 on the cost index, residents save roughly 27% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,441/month — for better or worse — while the median household pulls in $58,734/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 84, though Healthcare (97) lags behind. Home prices average $231,886 — $235,484 below the national median. The math checks out.
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.
Seattle (ranked #1) has a cost index of 128 and rent of $2,187/mo, while El Paso (ranked #2) has a cost index of 84 and rent of $1,441/mo — a 44-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 Seattle is $2,187/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $292 above the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Seattle is $848,869, which is 7.0× 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.