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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 $60K salary, 1 cities (25%) meet this threshold. That's a tough market. We ran the numbers on 4 cities in Utah using 2026 census, rent, and salary data. Provo comes out on…
113,343 residents · Utah
In plain English: Here's Provo by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 84. Rent: $1,448/month. Income: $62,800/year. Home price: $478,858. Population: 113,343. The strongest category is Housing at 84; the most expensive is Healthcare at 97. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $5,364 per year vs. the national median. If you're a planner, this number should anchor your spreadsheet.
134,470 residents · Utah
Dive into West Valley's numbers: cost index 91 (20 points below national average), rent $1,560/month, income $88,604, and a home price of $466,390. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 91, while Healthcare runs 98. With 134,470 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
209,593 residents · Utah
Why Salt Lake ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. At 93 on the cost index, residents save roughly 18% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,592/month while the median household pulls in $74,925/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 93, though Healthcare (99) lags behind. Home prices average $565,484 — $98,114 above the national median.
114,908 residents · Utah
A closer look at West Jordan: the cost index of 96 breaks down to a Housing index of 96 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 99 (weakest). Median rent is $1,651/month — 13% below the national median — while household income sits at $103,960, meaning locals spend about 19% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
#1 Ranked: Provo — cost index 84, rent $1,448/mo, income $62,800
1 of 4 cities keep rent under 30% of $60K
1 of 4 cities keep rent under 30% of $60K gross income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Median Rent | Rent % of Gross | Cost Index | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Provo | $1,448 | 29% | 84 | Details |
| 2 | West Valley | $1,560 | 31% | 91 | Details |
| 3 | Salt Lake | $1,592 | 32% | 93 | Details |
| 4 | West Jordan | $1,651 | 33% | 96 | Details |
The 30% rule — spending no more than 30% of gross income on housing — is the most widely cited benchmark for affordability. On a $60K salary, 1 cities (25%) meet this threshold. That's a tough market. We ran the numbers on 4 cities in Utah using 2026 census, rent, and salary data. Provo comes out on top — here's the full ranking and analysis.
Why Provo ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 84 on the cost index, residents save roughly 27% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,448/month while the median household pulls in $62,800/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 84, though Healthcare (97) lags behind. Home prices average $478,858 — $11,488 above the national median.
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.
The 30% rule — spending no more than 30% of gross income on housing — is the most widely cited benchmark for affordability. On a $60K salary, 1 cities (25%) meet this threshold. That's a tough market.
Rent in #1-ranked Provo has increased from $1,407 to $1,448/mo over the past 12 months — a 3% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time.
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Provo | 4.55% | 7.21% | 0.52% | $44,427 |
2West Valley | 4.55% | 7.21% | 0.52% | $44,427 |
3Salt Lake | 4.55% | 7.21% | 0.52% | $44,427 |
4West Jordan | 4.55% | 7.21% | 0.52% | $44,427 |
We model what a $60K 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.
Provo ranks #1 in Utah for this analysis with a cost index of 84 and median income of $62,800.
Yes. On a $60K salary in Provo, rent would consume about 29% 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.
Provo (ranked #1) has a cost index of 84 and rent of $1,448/mo, while West Jordan (ranked #4) has a cost index of 96 and rent of $1,651/mo — a 12-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 Provo is $1,448/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $447 below the national median of $1,895/month.
After federal taxes, FICA (7.65%), and 4.55% state income tax, estimated take-home on $60K in Provo is approximately $44,427/year ($3,702/month). After median rent of $1,448/month, you'd have roughly $27,051/year for all other expenses.
The median home price in Provo is $478,858, which is 7.6× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. The national median home price is $467,370.
Utah has a 4.55% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.21%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.52%.
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.