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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 98 cost index, residents enjoy purchasing power that 20% exceeds the national average. We found this pattern across 4 cities in Oklahoma using 2026 data (that's pre-tax, of course).
#1 Ranked: Broken Arrow — cost index 98, 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 111
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 98 cost index, residents enjoy purchasing power that 20% exceeds the national average. We found this pattern across 4 cities in Oklahoma using 2026 data (that's pre-tax, of course).
A closer look at Broken Arrow: the cost index of 98 breaks down to a Housing index of 98 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 100 (weakest). Median rent is $1,671/month — 12% below the national median — while household income sits at $85,220, meaning locals spend about 24% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
Rent data is sourced from Zillow's Observed Rent Index (ZORI), which tracks the median rent across all active listings — not just new leases. This gives a more representative and stable signal than asking prices alone. Broken Arrow: $1,671/mo, Norman: $1,289/mo, Oklahoma: $1,255/mo. The cheapest city here is $224 under the national median — that's $2,688/year in savings on rent alone.
Broken Arrow: high income, low cost — a rare combo. Broken Arrow earns above the national median ($85,220 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 98 vs 111). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 40 of 288 cities share it.
The broader context shifts things: State context matters: Oklahoma's 4 cities average a 79 cost index with $1,356/month median rent and $68,847 household income. Energy economy and persistently low costs. The table is nice. The insights below it are nicer.
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.
Broken Arrow earns above the national median ($85,220 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 98 vs 111). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 40 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
Here's Broken Arrow by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 98. Rent: $1,671/month. Income: $85,220/year. Home price: $283,474. Population: 119,194. The strongest category is Housing at 98; the most expensive is Healthcare at 100. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,688 per year vs. the national median. That's a spread that makes moving costs look trivial.
130,046 residents · Oklahoma
Real talk: a closer look at Norman: the cost index of 75 breaks down to a Housing index of 75 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 95 (weakest). Median rent is $1,289/month — 32% below the national median — while household income sits at $65,060, meaning locals spend about 24% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard (that's pre-tax, of course).
702,767 residents · Oklahoma
Dive into Oklahoma's numbers: cost index 73 (38 points below national average), rent $1,255/month, income $66,702, and a home price of $203,329. And broadly, the city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 73, while Healthcare runs 95. As a major city with 702,767 residents, amenities and job markets are robust.
411,894 residents · Oklahoma
Tulsa earns its position at #4 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 70 cost index sits 41 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. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 70, while Healthcare trails at 94.
Cities with the highest rents in Oklahoma are ranked from most expensive to least. High rent doesn't always mean unaffordable — we pair rent data with income to show the full picture. 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 98 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 98 and rent of $1,671/mo, while Tulsa (ranked #4) has a cost index of 70 and rent of $1,207/mo — a 28-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.