Cost of Living in
Every US City

UPDATED 2026

Compare rent, income, home values, and taxes across 4,000+ cities. Real data from the US Census Bureau.

4,176
Cities
$1,497
Avg Rent
$88,699
Avg Income
51
States + DC

Popular Comparisons

Head-to-head cost of living showdowns

Austin, TX VS Denver, CO
Index: 134 Index: 147
Denver is 13% more
New York, NY VS Los Angeles, CA
Index: 166 Index: 187
Los Angeles is 21% more
Miami, FL VS Houston, TX
Index: 129 Index: 88
Miami is 41% more
Seattle, WA VS Portland, OR
Index: 196 Index: 138
Seattle is 58% more
San Francisco, CA VS Chicago, IL
Index: 267 Index: 100
San Francisco is 167% more

Most Affordable Cities

Lowest cost of living (25k+ population)

#CityCost IndexMedian RentMedian Income
1 Youngstown, OH 38 $718/mo $34,746
2 Flint, MI 42 $859/mo $36,194
3 Marion, IN 43 $760/mo $43,349
4 Jamestown, NY 43 $755/mo $44,878
5 Warren, OH 43 $759/mo $36,955
6 Danville, IL 44 $809/mo $44,239
7 Galesburg, IL 44 $719/mo $45,213
8 Bay, MI 44 $739/mo $47,904
View all 1852 cities ranked →

Most Expensive Cities

Highest cost of living (25k+ population)

#CityCost IndexMedian RentMedian Income
1 Saratoga, CA 391 $3,501/mo $241,348
2 Los Altos, CA 391 $3,501/mo $250,001
3 Manhattan Beach, CA 388 $3,492/mo $193,904
4 Cupertino, CA 385 $3,501/mo $231,139
5 Palo Alto, CA 377 $3,328/mo $220,408
6 Menlo Park, CA 371 $3,156/mo $206,588
7 Los Gatos, CA 370 $2,969/mo $207,891
8 Newport Beach, CA 369 $3,146/mo $158,461
View full rankings →