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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices here — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. Seattle (index 128, rent $2,187/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 2 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026.
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices here — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. Seattle (index 128, rent $2,187/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 2 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026.
A closer look at Seattle: the cost index of 128 breaks down to a Healthcare index of 106 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 128 (weakest). Median rent is $2,187/month — 15% above the national median — while household income sits at $121,984, meaning locals spend about 22% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
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); Las Vegas (index 99, rent $1,695). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
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: 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
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SeattleWA | 128 | $2,187 | Details |
| 2 | Las VegasNV | 99 | $1,695 | Details |
755,078 residents · Washington
Real talk: a closer look at Seattle: the cost index of 128 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — breaks down to a Healthcare index of 106 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 128 (weakest). Median rent is $2,187/month — 15% above the national median — while household income sits at $121,984, meaning locals spend about 22% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
660,929 residents · Nevada
Here's Las Vegas by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 99. Rent: $1,695/month. Income: $70,723/year. Home price: $422,842. Population: 660,929. The strongest category is Housing at 99; the most expensive is Healthcare at 100. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,400 per year vs. the national median. That's the kind of affordability that turns 'maybe someday' into 'next month.'
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 Las Vegas (ranked #2) has a cost index of 99 and rent of $1,695/mo — a 29-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.