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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 4 of 4 cities in Oklahoma beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Oklahoma City stands out at 89 on the index, with rent of $1,255/month and household income of $66,702. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
#1 Ranked: Oklahoma City — cost index 89, rent $1,255/mo, income $66,702
4 of 4 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Population | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma City | 702,767 | 89 | $1,255 | Details |
| 2 | Tulsa | 411,894 | 89 | $1,207 | Details |
| 3 | Norman | 130,046 | 92 | $1,289 | Details |
| 4 | Broken Arrow | 119,194 | 100 | $1,671 | Details |
The numbers are clear: 4 of 4 cities in Oklahoma beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Oklahoma City stands out at 89 on the index, with rent of $1,255/month and household income of $66,702. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
Here's Oklahoma City by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 89. Rent: $1,255/month. Income: $66,702/year. Home price: $203,329. Population: 702,767. The strongest category is Housing at 73; the most expensive is Healthcare at 92. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $7,680 per year vs. the national median. That's not something you see often in the data (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
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.
702,767 residents · Oklahoma
Why Oklahoma City ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 89 on the cost index, residents save roughly 23% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,255/month while the median household pulls in $66,702/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 73, though Healthcare (92) lags behind. Home prices average $203,329 — $264,041 below the national median.
411,894 residents · Oklahoma
Tulsa earns its position at #2 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 89 cost index sits 23 points below the national baseline, and the $58,407 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $212,757 — $254,613 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. It's fine. Not great, not bad. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 73, while Healthcare trails at 92.
130,046 residents · Oklahoma
Why Norman ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. At 92 on the cost index, residents save roughly 20% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,289/month while the median household pulls in $65,060/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 81, though Healthcare (95) lags behind. Home prices average $257,977 — $209,393 below the national median.
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, Utilities (index 92) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 103) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $85,220 and homes at $283,474 round out a profile that ranks #4 for clear reasons (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
Cities are ranked by total population from the latest Census estimates. Growing populations typically signal economic opportunity — but also rising costs. We pair population data with affordability metrics for context. 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 City ranks #1 in Oklahoma for this analysis with a cost index of 89 and 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 City (ranked #1) has a cost index of 89 and rent of $1,255/mo, while Broken Arrow (ranked #4) has a cost index of 100 and rent of $1,671/mo — a 11-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 City 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 City 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.