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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Young professionals don't just need cheap — they need opportunity. We scored 4 cities across Oklahoma on income, market size, and transport costs. Oklahoma ($66,702 median income, 702,767 people) ranks #1 for 2026.
Young professionals don't just need cheap — they need opportunity. We scored 4 cities across Oklahoma on income, market size, and transport costs. Oklahoma ($66,702 median income, 702,767 people) ranks #1 for 2026.
For young professionals, we weight income potential highest (20pts) — early career earnings compound over decades. Population comes next (15pts) as a proxy for job market depth: more employers means more opportunity. Transport costs (10pts) matter because most early-career workers are car-dependent. Oklahoma leads with $66,702 median income and 702,767 residents.
Here's Oklahoma by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 73. Rent: $1,255/month. Income: $66,702/year. Home price: $203,329. Population: 702,767. The strongest category is Housing at 73; the most expensive is Healthcare at 95. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $7,680 per year vs. the national median. That ratio is hard to beat anywhere else.
If you only look at rent, it's perfect. Zoom out and it's complicated. In Oklahoma, the healthcare index sits at 95 — not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing about.
Bottom line: Oklahoma 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: Oklahoma — cost index 73, rent $1,255/mo, income $66,702
Young-professional scoring: income $66,702, population 702,767 (job market depth), transport index 93
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
702,767 residents · Oklahoma
What does daily life actually cost in Oklahoma? Start with the 23% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Housing (index 73) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 95) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $66,702 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — and homes at $203,329 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
411,894 residents · Oklahoma
What does daily life actually cost in Tulsa? Start with the 25% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Housing (index 70) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 94) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $58,407 and homes at $212,757 round out a profile that ranks #2 for clear reasons.
130,046 residents · Oklahoma
Dive into Norman's numbers: cost index 75 — we had to double-check this one — (36 points below national average), rent $1,289/month, income $65,060, and a home price of $257,977. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 75, while Healthcare runs 95. With 130,046 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
119,194 residents · Oklahoma
Here's Broken Arrow by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 98. Rent: $1,671/month. Income: $85,220/year. Home price: $283,474. Population: 119,194. The strongest category is Housing at 98; the most expensive is Healthcare at 100. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,688 per year vs. the national median. For freelancers and gig workers with variable income, this cushion is everything (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
Oklahoma ranks #1 in Oklahoma for this analysis with a cost index of 73 and median income of $66,702.
Oklahoma scores highest for young professionals due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,255/mo, and competitive median income of $66,702.
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.
Oklahoma (ranked #1) has a cost index of 73 and rent of $1,255/mo, while Broken Arrow (ranked #4) has a cost index of 98 and rent of $1,671/mo — a 25-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 Oklahoma is $1,255/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $640 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Oklahoma is $203,329, which is 3.0× 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.
Oklahoma has a 4.75% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.97%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.82%.
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.