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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 1 of 1 cities in North Dakota beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Fargo stands out at 64 on the index, with rent of $1,096/month — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — and household income of $66,029. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS da…
The numbers are clear: 1 of 1 cities in North Dakota beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 111. Fargo stands out at 64 on the index, with rent of $1,096/month — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — and household income of $66,029. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
A closer look at Fargo: the cost index of 64 breaks down to a Housing index of 64 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 93 (weakest). Median rent is $1,096/month — 42% below the national median — while household income sits at $66,029, meaning locals spend about 20% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard. Quietly competitive.
The ranking uses a composite of 2026 data from Census Bureau population/income surveys, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary benchmarks, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Fargo (index 64, rent $1,096). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons. An outlier in the best sense.
Frankly, Now zoom in on the cost categories. Here's the state-level backdrop: North Dakota averages a 64 cost index, $1,096/mo rent, and $66,029 income across 1 cities. That's $799 less than the national rent average. Oil-patch wages in a low-cost market — and that context shapes every city in this ranking.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers. Solidly above average.
#1 Ranked: Fargo — cost index 64, rent $1,096/mo, income $66,029
1 of 1 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
133,188 residents · North Dakota
Fargo earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 64 cost index sits 47 points below the national baseline, and the $66,029 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $312,872 — $154,498 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 64, while Healthcare trails at 93.
Cities are ranked by median household income using Census ACS data. Income alone doesn't tell the full story — we also show cost of living index so you can gauge real purchasing power in each city across North Dakota. 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.
Fargo ranks #1 in North Dakota for this analysis with a cost index of 64 and median income of $66,029.
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.
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 Fargo is $1,096/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $799 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Fargo is $312,872, 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.
North Dakota has a 1.95% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.04%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.94%.
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.