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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
If you're comparing cities, this is the number to watch. West Valley: high income, low cost — a rare combo. West Valley earns above the national median ($88,604 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 106 vs 112). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 36 of 288 cities share it. …
134,470 residents · Utah
Here's West Valley by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 106. Rent: $1,560/month — we had to double-check this one — . No major red flags in that number. Income: $88,604/year. Home price: $466,390. Population: 134,470. The strongest category is Utilities at 98; the most expensive is Housing at 116. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $4,020 per year vs. the national median. That gap is hard to ignore.
113,343 residents · Utah
Why Provo ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 105 on the cost index, residents save roughly 7% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,448/month while the median household pulls in $62,800/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 97, though Housing (113) lags behind. Home prices average $478,858 — $11,488 above the national median.
209,593 residents · Utah
Real talk: Salt Lake comes in at #3. And from what we can tell, that alone makes it worth considering. Rent is $1,592 a month. Household income is $74,925. The cost of living index is 111. That's about what we'd expect given the state context.
114,908 residents · Utah
Why West Jordan ranks #4: the numbers tell a clear story. And roughly speaking, at 112 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 0% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,651/month — this is the part where it gets real — while the median household pulls in $103,960/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 103, though Housing (130) lags behind. Home prices average $555,810 — $88,440 above the national median.
#1 Ranked: West Valley — cost index 106, rent $1,560/mo, income $88,604
West Valley: high income, low cost — a rare combo
Student-budget scoring: rent $1,560/mo, food index 104, cost index 106 — survival-level affordability
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Valley | 106 | $1,560 | Details |
| 2 | Provo | 105 | $1,448 | Details |
| 3 | Salt Lake | 111 | $1,592 | Details |
| 4 | West Jordan | 112 | $1,651 | Details |
If you're comparing cities, this is the number to watch. West Valley: high income, low cost — a rare combo. West Valley earns above the national median ($88,604 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 106 vs 112). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 36 of 288 cities share it. That adds up much faster than people realize.
Student life means every dollar counts. We scored 4 cities across Utah for rent, food, and cost of living. West Valley (rent $1,560/mo, cost index 106) ranks #1 for 2026.
Dive into West Valley's numbers: cost index 106 — we had to double-check this one — (6 points below national average), rent $1,560/month, income $88,604, and a home price of $466,390. Pretty standard for this type of city. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 98, while Housing runs 116. With 134,470 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs. The definition of value.
Look, Here's the asterisk: State context matters: Utah's 4 cities average a 109 cost index with $1,563/month — we had to double-check this one — median rent and $82,572 household income. Fastest-growing state economy with rising costs to match. Here's where the salary tiers really separate the field.
Bottom line: West Valley 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.
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to students. 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.
West Valley ranks #1 in Utah for this analysis with a cost index of 106 and median income of $88,604.
West Valley scores highest for students due to its strong income potential, median rent of $1,560/mo, and above-average median income of $88,604.
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 Valley (ranked #1) has a cost index of 106 and rent of $1,560/mo, while West Jordan (ranked #4) has a cost index of 112 and rent of $1,651/mo — a 6-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 Valley is $1,560/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $335 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in West Valley is $466,390, 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.