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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The 30% rule — spending no more than 30% of gross income on housing — is the most widely cited benchmark for affordability. On a $100K salary, 4 cities (100%) meet this threshold. You've got plenty of choices. We ran the numbers on 4 cities in Oklahoma using 2026 census, rent, and salary data. Tulsa…
411,894 residents · Oklahoma
Full transparency here: a closer look at Tulsa: the cost index of 70 breaks down to a Housing index of 70 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 94 (weakest). Median rent is $1,207/month — 36% below the national median — while household income sits at $58,407, meaning locals spend about 25% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
702,767 residents · Oklahoma
A closer look at Oklahoma: the cost index of 73 breaks down to a Housing index of 73 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 95 (weakest). Median rent is $1,255/month — 34% below the national median — while household income sits at $66,702, meaning locals spend about 23% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
130,046 residents · Oklahoma
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.
119,194 residents · Oklahoma
In plain English: Why Broken Arrow ranks #4: the numbers tell a clear story. At 98 on the cost index, residents save roughly 13% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,671/month while the median household pulls in $85,220/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 98, though Healthcare (100) lags behind. Home prices average $283,474 — $183,896 below the national median.
#1 Ranked: Tulsa — cost index 70, rent $1,207/mo, income $58,407
4 of 4 cities keep rent under 30% of $100K
4 of 4 cities keep rent under 30% of $100K gross income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
The 30% rule — spending no more than 30% of gross income on housing — is the most widely cited benchmark for affordability. On a $100K salary, 4 cities (100%) meet this threshold. You've got plenty of choices. We ran the numbers on 4 cities in Oklahoma using 2026 census, rent, and salary data. Tulsa comes out on top — here's the full ranking and analysis.
The #1 spot goes to Tulsa, and the breakdown explains why. Moving on. Renters here pay $1,207/month — saving renters $8,256 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 70, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 94. A 25% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
Quick aside: when housing takes less of your income, the secondary effects are real — less financial stress, more discretionary spending, better local businesses.
Bottom line: Tulsa 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.
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Tulsa | 4.75% | 8.97% | 0.82% | $70,547 |
2Oklahoma | 4.75% | 8.97% | 0.82% | $70,547 |
3Norman | 4.75% | 8.97% | 0.82% | $70,547 |
4Broken Arrow | 4.75% | 8.97% | 0.82% | $70,547 |
We model what a $100K salary looks like after taxes in each city: federal income tax (marginal brackets), FICA (7.65%), and state income tax. Then we compare take-home against local rent and costs to determine where the salary stretches furthest. 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.
Tulsa ranks #1 in Oklahoma for this analysis with a cost index of 70 and median income of $58,407.
Yes. On a $100K salary in Tulsa, rent would consume about 14% of your gross monthly income. Financial experts recommend keeping rent under 30%. You're well within that guideline.
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.
Tulsa (ranked #1) has a cost index of 70 and rent of $1,207/mo, while Broken Arrow (ranked #4) has a cost index of 98 and rent of $1,671/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 Tulsa is $1,207/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $688 below the national median of $1,895/month.
After federal taxes, FICA (7.65%), and 4.75% state income tax, estimated take-home on $100K in Tulsa is approximately $70,547/year ($5,879/month). After median rent of $1,207/month, you'd have roughly $56,063/year for all other expenses.
The median home price in Tulsa is $212,757, which is 3.6× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. 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.