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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
High income and low costs rarely coexist — but Broken Arrow pulls it off. At $85,220 median household income and a 100 cost index, residents enjoy purchasing power that 19% exceeds the national average. We found this pattern across 4 cities in Oklahoma using 2026 data.
#1 Ranked: Broken Arrow — cost index 100, rent $1,671/mo, income $85,220
Broken Arrow: high income, low cost — a rare combo
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
High income and low costs rarely coexist — but Broken Arrow pulls it off. At $85,220 median household income and a 100 cost index, residents enjoy purchasing power that 19% exceeds the national average. We found this pattern across 4 cities in Oklahoma using 2026 data.
Look, So, Broken Arrow. Cost index of 100, rent at $1,671/month. It's lower than the national average. Median income is $85,220, which is above average. No major red flags in that number.
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. Broken Arrow (index 100 — not a number you see very often, by the way — , rent $1,671); Oklahoma (index 89, rent $1,255); Norman (index 92, rent $1,289). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
Bottom line: Broken Arrow 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.
Broken Arrow earns above the national median ($85,220 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 100 vs 112). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 36 of 288 cities share it.
Rent in #1-ranked Broken Arrow has increased from $1,624 to $1,671/mo over the past 12 months — a 3% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time.
119,194 residents · Oklahoma
Why Broken Arrow ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 100 on the cost index, residents save roughly 12% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,671/month while the median household pulls in $85,220/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 92, though Healthcare (103) lags behind. Home prices average $283,474 — $183,896 below the national median.
702,767 residents · Oklahoma
What does daily life actually cost in Oklahoma? Start with the 23% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. And in most cases, on the category level, Housing (index 73) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 92) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $66,702 and homes at $203,329 round out a profile that ranks #2 for clear reasons.
130,046 residents · Oklahoma
The numbers for Norman are straightforward: 92 on the cost index, $1,289/month rent, $65,060 income. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. That's more or less in line with the region.
411,894 residents · Oklahoma
The #4 spot goes to Tulsa, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,207/month — for better or worse — — saving renters $8,256 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 73, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 92. A 25% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Broken Arrow | 4.75% | 8.97% | 0.82% | $60,851 |
2Oklahoma | 4.75% | 8.97% | 0.82% | $60,851 |
3Norman | 4.75% | 8.97% | 0.82% | $60,851 |
4Tulsa | 4.75% | 8.97% | 0.82% | $60,851 |
Cities are ranked by median household income from Census ACS data. We also show cost-adjusted purchasing power (income ÷ cost index) to reveal which high-income cities actually deliver the most real-world spending power. 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.
Broken Arrow ranks #1 in Oklahoma for this analysis with a cost index of 100 and median income of $85,220.
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.
Broken Arrow (ranked #1) has a cost index of 100 and rent of $1,671/mo, while Tulsa (ranked #4) has a cost index of 89 and rent of $1,207/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 Broken Arrow is $1,671/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $224 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Broken Arrow is $283,474, which is 3.3× 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.