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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
This is one of those stats that stops you mid-scroll. Cleveland rent up 5% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked Cleveland has increased from $1,285 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — to $1,344/mo over the past 12 months — a 5% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over…
This is one of those stats that stops you mid-scroll. Cleveland rent up 5% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked Cleveland has increased from $1,285 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — to $1,344/mo over the past 12 months — a 5% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time. On a teacher's salary, this difference is the line between paycheck-to-paycheck and comfortable.
Retirement planning isn't just about lowest rent — it's about protecting a fixed income from healthcare costs and state taxes. We scored 6 cities in Ohio on what hits retirees hardest: cost of living, healthcare, and tax burden. Cleveland leads with index 78, a 3.5% state tax rate, and a healthcare index of 96.
Cleveland earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 78 cost index sits 33 points below the national baseline, and the $39,187 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $113,669 — $353,701 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 78, while Healthcare trails at 96.
And here's the trade-off: Here's the state-level backdrop: Ohio averages a 74 cost index, $1,261/mo rent, and $49,292 income across 6 cities. And in practical terms, that's $634 less than the national rent average. Rust Belt revival with some of the lowest costs in the US — and that context shapes every city in this ranking.
Bottom line: Cleveland 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.
#1 Ranked: Cleveland — cost index 78, rent $1,344/mo, income $39,187
Cleveland rent up 5% over the past year
Retiree-weighted scoring: healthcare index 96, state tax 3.5%, cost index 78 — protecting fixed retirement income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
362,656 residents · Ohio
Cleveland earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 78 cost index sits 33 points below the national baseline, and the $39,187 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $113,669 — $353,701 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 78, while Healthcare trails at 96.
311,097 residents · Ohio
Cincinnati earns its position at #2 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 83 cost index sits 28 points below the national baseline, and the $51,707 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $244,309 — $223,061 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 83, while Healthcare trails at 97.
265,304 residents · Ohio
Dive into Toledo's numbers: cost index 62 (49 points below national average), rent $1,060/month, income $47,532, and a home price of $126,270. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 62, while Healthcare runs 92. With 265,304 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
201,877 residents · Ohio
The #4 spot goes to Columbus, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,415/month — worth pausing on — — saving renters $5,760 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 83, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 97. A 26% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
188,701 residents · Ohio
Akron earns its position at #5 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 66 cost index sits 45 points below the national baseline, and the $48,544 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $134,376 — $332,994 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 66, while Healthcare trails at 93.
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to retirees. Each factor scores 10-25 points out of a 100-point composite. The guide ranks every tracked city in Ohio 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.
Cleveland ranks #1 in Ohio for this analysis with a cost index of 78 and median income of $39,187.
Cleveland scores highest for retirees due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,344/mo, and competitive median income of $39,187.
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.
Cleveland (ranked #1) has a cost index of 78 and rent of $1,344/mo, while Dayton (ranked #6) has a cost index of 69 and rent of $1,186/mo — a 9-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 Cleveland is $1,344/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $551 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Cleveland is $113,669, which is 2.9× the local median income. That's within the standard 3.5× affordability rule for most local earners. The national median home price is $467,370.
Ohio has a 3.5% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.24%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.36%.
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.