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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Premium market, smart picks: while Utah trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. West Jordan at index 112 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving Utah.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Jordan | 112 | $1,651 | Details |
| 2 | Salt Lake | 111 | $1,592 | Details |
| 3 | West Valley | 106 | $1,560 | Details |
| 4 | Provo | 105 | $1,448 | Details |
#1 Ranked: West Jordan — cost index 112, rent $1,651/mo, income $103,960
3 of 4 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Premium market, smart picks: while Utah trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. West Jordan at index 112 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving Utah.
Dive into West Jordan's numbers: cost index 112 (0 points above national average), rent $1,651/month, income $103,960, and a home price of $555,810. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 103, while Housing runs 130. With 114,908 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
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.
114,908 residents · Utah
Dive into West Jordan's numbers: cost index 112 (0 points above national average), rent $1,651/month, income $103,960, and a home price of $555,810. That tracks. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 103, while Housing runs 130. With 114,908 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
209,593 residents · Utah
What does daily life actually cost in Salt Lake? Start with the 25% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Utilities (index 102) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 128) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $74,925 and homes at $565,484 round out a profile that ranks #2 for clear reasons.
134,470 residents · Utah
A closer look at West Valley: the cost index of 106 breaks down to a Utilities index of 98 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 116 (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. Not flashy. Just effective.
113,343 residents · Utah
Here's Provo by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 105. Rent: $1,448/month. Income: $62,800/year. Home price: $478,858. Population: 113,343. The strongest category is Utilities at 97; the most expensive is Housing at 113. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $5,364 per year vs. the national median. In a market where everything is going up, this stands still — in a good way.
West Jordan ranks #1 in Utah for this analysis with a cost index of 112 and median income of $103,960.
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.
West Jordan (ranked #1) has a cost index of 112 and rent of $1,651/mo, while Provo (ranked #4) has a cost index of 105 and rent of $1,448/mo — a 7-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 West Jordan is $1,651/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $244 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in West Jordan is $555,810, which is 5.3× 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.