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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
This is one of the closest races in our database: the top 5 cities are separated by just 3 points on the cost index. Gilbert, Scottsdale, Chandler, Goodyear, Buckeye are all within striking distance. At this margin, secondary factors — taxes, rent trends, category-specific costs — become the tiebrea…
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gilbert | 120 | $2,049 | Details |
| 2 | Scottsdale | 123 | $2,113 | Details |
| 3 | Chandler | 108 | $1,848 | Details |
| 4 | Goodyear | 103 | $1,767 | Details |
| 5 | Buckeye | 117 | $2,004 | Details |
| 6 | Peoria | 106 | $1,821 | Details |
| 7 | Surprise | 112 | $1,926 | Details |
| 8 | Mesa | 91 | $1,554 | Details |
| 9 | Tempe | 98 | $1,679 | Details |
| 10 | Phoenix | 91 | $1,556 | Details |
| 11 | Glendale | 90 | $1,544 | Details |
| 12 | Tucson | 82 | $1,399 | Details |
#1 Ranked: Gilbert — cost index 120, rent $2,049/mo, income $121,351
Top 5 separated by only 3 points
8 of 12 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
This is one of the closest races in our database: the top 5 cities are separated by just 3 points on the cost index. Gilbert, Scottsdale, Chandler, Goodyear, Buckeye are all within striking distance. At this margin, secondary factors — taxes, rent trends, category-specific costs — become the tiebreakers. Here's the full breakdown.
Why Gilbert ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 120 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 9% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $2,049/month while the median household pulls in $121,351/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 104, though Housing (120) lags behind. Home prices average $570,461 — $103,091 above the national median.
Bottom line: Gilbert 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.
275,411 residents · Arizona
Here's Gilbert by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 120. Rent: $2,049/month. Income: $121,351/year. Home price: $570,461. Population: 275,411. The strongest category is Healthcare at 104; the most expensive is Housing at 120. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $1,848 more per year vs. the national median. If you're debt-free, those savings go straight to building wealth.
244,394 residents · Arizona
Scottsdale is one of the cheaper options here. Rent is $2,113/month — whether that matters depends on your situation — , which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 123. Income sits at $107,372. That's a reasonable number.
280,167 residents · Arizona
What does daily life actually cost in Chandler? Start with the 21% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Healthcare (index 102) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 108) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $103,691 and homes at $521,806 round out a profile that ranks #3 for clear reasons (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes). The math checks out.
111,805 residents · Arizona
Why Goodyear ranks #4: the numbers tell a clear story. At 103 on the cost index, residents save roughly 8% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,767/month while the median household pulls in $101,814/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 101, though Housing (103) lags behind. Home prices average $469,121 — $1,751 above the national median.
108,909 residents · Arizona
What does daily life actually cost in Buckeye? Start with the 24% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Healthcare (index 103) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 117) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $98,778 and homes at $396,261 round out a profile that ranks #5 for clear reasons.
Gilbert ranks #1 in Arizona for this analysis with a cost index of 120 and median income of $121,351.
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.
Gilbert (ranked #1) has a cost index of 120 and rent of $2,049/mo, while Tucson (ranked #12) has a cost index of 82 and rent of $1,399/mo — a 38-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 Gilbert is $2,049/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $154 above the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Gilbert is $570,461, which is 4.7× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
Arizona has a 2.5% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.37%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.51%.
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.