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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Dollar for dollar, few states match Texas's value. 38 out of 40 cities undercut the national cost index of 112. Leading the pack: Frisco at index 118, where median rent of $1,751/month saves renters $1,728/year versus the national median (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
#1 Ranked: Frisco — cost index 118, rent $1,751/mo, income $146,158
38 of 40 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
Dollar for dollar, few states match Texas's value. 38 out of 40 cities undercut the national cost index of 112. Leading the pack: Frisco at index 118, where median rent of $1,751/month saves renters $1,728/year versus the national median (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
The #1 spot goes to Frisco, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,751/month — for better or worse — — saving renters $1,728 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 108, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 145. At a 14% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
Bottom line: Frisco leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. And broadly, 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.
| Rank | City | Median Income | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frisco | $146,158 | 118 | $1,751 | Details |
| 2 | Sugar Land | $137,511 | 112 | $1,990 | Details |
| 3 | Allen | $129,130 | 109 | $1,634 | Details |
| 4 | Mckinney | $120,273 | 109 | $1,675 | Details |
| 5 | League | $119,870 | 105 | $1,764 | Details |
| 6 | Pearland | $112,470 | 106 | $1,797 | Details |
| 7 | Plano | $108,649 | 110 | $1,717 | Details |
| 8 | Carrollton | $99,115 | 103 | $1,517 | Details |
| 9 | Round Rock | $97,187 | 104 | $1,593 | Details |
| 10 | Richardson | $96,257 | 107 | $1,676 | Details |
| 11 | Austin | $91,461 | 107 | $1,531 | Details |
| 12 | Midland | $91,169 | 100 | $1,585 | Details |
| 13 | New Braunfels | $88,257 | 101 | $1,567 | Details |
| 14 | Lewisville | $85,002 | 103 | $1,573 | Details |
| 15 | Irving | $79,641 | 101 | $1,587 | Details |
| 16 | Grand Prairie | $78,889 | 100 | $1,602 | Details |
| 17 | Fort Worth | $76,602 | 98 | $1,554 | Details |
| 18 | Conroe | $75,245 | 99 | $1,524 | Details |
| 19 | Garland | $74,717 | 98 | $1,563 | Details |
| 20 | Denton | $73,719 | 100 | $1,491 | Details |
| 21 | Arlington | $73,519 | 98 | $1,462 | Details |
| 22 | Odessa | $73,030 | 97 | $1,612 | Details |
| 23 | Dallas | $67,760 | 99 | $1,591 | Details |
| 24 | Corpus Christi | $66,325 | 93 | $1,433 | Details |
| 25 | Tyler | $65,527 | 92 | $1,290 | Details |
| 26 | Pasadena | $64,270 | 91 | $1,318 | Details |
| 27 | Laredo | $63,264 | 91 | $1,327 | Details |
| 28 | San Antonio | $62,917 | 93 | $1,361 | Details |
| 29 | Houston | $62,894 | 97 | $1,542 | Details |
| 30 | Abilene | $62,720 | 98 | $1,758 | Details |
| 31 | Amarillo | $62,469 | 89 | $1,245 | Details |
| 32 | Lubbock | $60,487 | 92 | $1,388 | Details |
| 33 | Mcallen | $60,165 | 91 | $1,272 | Details |
| 34 | El Paso | $58,734 | 94 | $1,441 | Details |
| 35 | Killeen | $58,339 | 90 | $1,280 | Details |
| 36 | Beaumont | $57,530 | 88 | $1,275 | Details |
| 37 | College Station | $51,776 | 104 | $1,755 | Details |
| 38 | Waco | $51,468 | 91 | $1,368 | Details |
| 39 | Brownsville | $48,675 | 95 | $1,621 | Details |
| 40 | Mesquite | $37,989 | 94 | $1,397 | Details |
225,007 residents · Texas
Here's Frisco by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 118. Rent: $1,751/month. Income: $146,158/year. Home price: $653,858. Population: 225,007. The strongest category is Utilities at 108; the most expensive is Housing at 145. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $1,728 per year vs. the national median. That adds up much faster than people realize (which, to be fair, is a metric that favors smaller cities).
108,515 residents · Texas
The #2 spot goes to Sugar Land, and the breakdown explains why. And with some exceptions, renters here pay $1,990/month — costing renters $1,140 more per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 103, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 130. There's not much to say about that beyond the obvious. At a 17% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget (more on that below).
111,620 residents · Texas
At $1,634/month for rent and a cost index of 109, Allen is pretty much what you'd expect from a mid-size city in this part of the country. Income is $129,130. That's about what we'd expect given the state context. Hard to argue with that.
213,509 residents · Texas
Here's Mckinney by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 109. Rent: $1,675/month. Income: $120,273/year. Home price: $483,340. Population: 213,509. The strongest category is Utilities at 100; the most expensive is Housing at 122. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,640 per year vs. the national median. In a market where everything is going up, this stands still — in a good way.
116,320 residents · Texas
Dive into League's numbers: cost index 105 (7 points below national average), rent $1,764/month, income $119,870, and a home price of $368,400. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 97, while Housing runs 113. With 116,320 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Frisco | 0% | 8.19% | 1.6% | $106,856 |
2Sugar Land | 0% | 8.19% | 1.6% | $106,856 |
3Allen | 0% | 8.19% | 1.6% | $106,856 |
4Mckinney | 0% | 8.19% | 1.6% | $106,856 |
5League | 0% | 8.19% | 1.6% | $106,856 |
6Pearland | 0% | 8.19% | 1.6% | $106,856 |
7Plano | 0% | 8.19% | 1.6% | $106,856 |
8Carrollton | 0% | 8.19% | 1.6% | $106,856 |
9Round Rock | 0% | 8.19% | 1.6% | $106,856 |
10Richardson | 0% | 8.19% | 1.6% | $106,856 |
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.
Frisco ranks #1 in Texas for this analysis with a cost index of 118 and median income of $146,158.
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.
Frisco (ranked #1) has a cost index of 118 and rent of $1,751/mo, while Mesquite (ranked #40) has a cost index of 94 and rent of $1,397/mo — a 24-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 Frisco is $1,751/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $144 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Frisco is $653,858, which is 4.5× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
Texas has a 0% state income tax rate — one of the states with no income tax. Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.19%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.6%.
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.