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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Dollar for dollar, these cities represent some of the best deals in America. And as a general rule, 2 out of 2 cities undercut the national cost index of 111. Leading the pack: Tucson at index 82, where median rent of $1,399/month saves renters $5,952/year versus the national median.
Dollar for dollar, these cities represent some of the best deals in America. And as a general rule, 2 out of 2 cities undercut the national cost index of 111. Leading the pack: Tucson at index 82, where median rent of $1,399/month saves renters $5,952/year versus the national median.
Look, at $1,399/month — for better or worse — for rent and a cost index of 82, Tucson is pretty much what you'd expect from a larger city in this part of the country. Income is $54,546. That tracks.
In plain English: 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 most of the time, 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. There's an argument to be made — and I think the data supports it — that the cities getting all the attention right now are exactly the wrong places to move. The spotlight drives migration, migration drives demand, demand drives costs, and eventually the value proposition disappears. Meanwhile, cities like this one keep quietly being affordable, and the people who find them early are the ones who benefit most.
#1 Ranked: Tucson, AZ — cost index 82, rent $1,399/mo, income $54,546
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 | TucsonAZ | 82 | $1,399 | Details |
| 2 | Colorado SpringsCO | 97 | $1,667 | Details |
547,239 residents · Arizona
Real talk: Tucson comes in at #1. Rent is $1,399 — we had to double-check this one — a month. Household income is $54,546. The cost of living index is 82. Pretty standard for this type of city (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
488,664 residents · Colorado
Dive into Colorado Springs's numbers: cost index 97 (14 points below national average), rent $1,667/month, income $83,198, and a home price of $446,132. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 97, while Healthcare runs 99. With 488,664 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs (more on that below).
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.
Tucson (ranked #1) has a cost index of 82 and rent of $1,399/mo, while Colorado Springs (ranked #2) has a cost index of 97 and rent of $1,667/mo — a 15-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 Tucson is $1,399/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $496 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Tucson is $321,688, which is 5.9× 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.