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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Military veterans have earned every benefit — where do those benefits go furthest? We analyzed 4 cities in Utah: cost, state taxes, and supplemental healthcare. Salt Lake — index 93, 4.55% state tax — leads.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salt Lake | 93 | $1,592 | Details |
| 2 | West Valley | 91 | $1,560 | Details |
| 3 | Provo | 84 | $1,448 | Details |
| 4 | West Jordan | 96 | $1,651 | Details |
#1 Ranked: Salt Lake — cost index 93, rent $1,592/mo, income $74,925
Veteran scoring: cost index 93, state tax 4.55%, healthcare index 99 — preserving earned benefits
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Military veterans have earned every benefit — where do those benefits go furthest? We analyzed 4 cities in Utah: cost, state taxes, and supplemental healthcare. Salt Lake — index 93, 4.55% state tax — leads.
A closer look at Salt Lake: the cost index of 93 breaks down to a Housing index of 93 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 99 (weakest). Median rent is $1,592/month — 16% below the national median — while household income sits at $74,925, meaning locals spend about 25% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
Veterans have unique financial considerations: pension, VA disability, GI Bill benefits all interact with local costs and taxes. Our model weights cost of living (20pts), state tax burden (20pts), and healthcare costs (15pts) for supplemental care beyond VA. Salt Lake scores highest with a 93 cost index and 4.55% state tax.
Still, the overall picture holds: Utah — fastest-growing state economy with rising costs to match. The 4 cities we track here average a cost index of 91 — make of that what you will — and median income of $82,572. It's a clear buyer's market compared to national norms. The typical rent runs $1,563/month, which is $332 less than the national median.
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.
209,593 residents · Utah
Here's Salt Lake by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 93. Rent: $1,592/month. Income: $74,925/year. Home price: $565,484. Population: 209,593. The strongest category is Housing at 93; the most expensive is Healthcare at 99. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $3,636 per year vs. the national median. Even in a down market, this kind of cost structure protects household budgets.
134,470 residents · Utah
A closer look at West Valley: the cost index of 91 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — breaks down to a Housing index of 91 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 98 (weakest). Median rent is $1,560/month — 18% below the national median — while household income sits at $88,604, meaning locals spend about 21% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
113,343 residents · Utah
The #3 spot goes to Provo, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,448/month — though some people might weigh that differently — — saving renters $5,364 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 84, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 97. A 28% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
114,908 residents · Utah
At $1,651/month for rent and a cost index of 96, West Jordan is pretty much what you'd expect from a mid-size city in this part of the country. Not the most exciting stat, but it matters. Income is $103,960. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is.
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to military veterans. Each factor scores 10-25 points out of a 100-point composite. The guide ranks every tracked city in Utah by this personalized metric. 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.
Salt Lake ranks #1 in Utah for this analysis with a cost index of 93 and median income of $74,925.
Salt Lake scores highest for military veterans due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,592/mo, and competitive median income of $74,925.
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.
Salt Lake (ranked #1) has a cost index of 93 and rent of $1,592/mo, while West Jordan (ranked #4) has a cost index of 96 and rent of $1,651/mo — a 3-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 Salt Lake is $1,592/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $303 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Salt Lake is $565,484, which is 7.5× 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.