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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Finding the right city for a family isn't just about cheap rent — it's about income, healthcare, schools, and room to grow. And for many people, we scored 4 cities in Oklahoma on the metrics families care about, and Oklahoma comes out on top with a cost index of 73, median income of $66,702, and a h…
#1 Ranked: Oklahoma — cost index 73, rent $1,255/mo, income $66,702
Family-weighted scoring: income $66,702, healthcare index 95, population 702,767 — balancing career, care, and schools
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Finding the right city for a family isn't just about cheap rent — it's about income, healthcare, schools, and room to grow. And for many people, we scored 4 cities in Oklahoma on the metrics families care about, and Oklahoma comes out on top with a cost index of 73, median income of $66,702, and a healthcare index of 95.
Oklahoma comes in at #1. Rent is $1,255 — and that's before you even look at taxes — a month. Household income is $66,702. The cost of living index is 73. It lines up with what you'd expect.
Bottom line: Oklahoma 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.
702,767 residents · Oklahoma
Oklahoma earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 73 cost index sits 38 points below the national baseline, and the $66,702 — though some people might weigh that differently — median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $203,329 — $264,041 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 73, while Healthcare trails at 95.
130,046 residents · Oklahoma
Dive into Norman's numbers: cost index 75 (36 points below national average), rent $1,289/month, income $65,060, and a home price of $257,977. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 75, while Healthcare runs 95. With 130,046 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
119,194 residents · Oklahoma
What does daily life actually cost in Broken Arrow? Start with the 24% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Housing (index 98) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 100) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $85,220 and homes at $283,474 round out a profile that ranks #3 for clear reasons.
411,894 residents · Oklahoma
Dive into Tulsa's numbers: cost index 70 (41 points below national average), rent $1,207/month, income $58,407, and a home price of $212,757. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 70, while Healthcare runs 94. With 411,894 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to families. Each factor scores 10-25 points out of a 100-point composite. The guide ranks every tracked city in Oklahoma by this personalized metric. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Oklahoma ranks #1 in Oklahoma for this analysis with a cost index of 73 and median income of $66,702.
Oklahoma scores highest for families due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,255/mo, and competitive median income of $66,702.
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.
Oklahoma (ranked #1) has a cost index of 73 and rent of $1,255/mo, while Tulsa (ranked #4) has a cost index of 70 and rent of $1,207/mo — a 3-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 Oklahoma is $1,255/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $640 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Oklahoma is $203,329, which is 3.0× the local median income. That's within the standard 3.5× affordability rule for most local earners. The national median home price is $467,370.
Oklahoma has a 4.75% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.97%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.82%.
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.