Walk with me down memory lane for a quick example of how expensive some cities cost.
My old rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in San Francisco, CA in 2013 – $2,000. My mortgage for a 4-bedroom house in Durham, NC in 2013 — $1,300.
The rent on that old apartment now… around $5,000. My mortgage now? Still $1,300.
The cost of San Francisco was one the major factors in our decision to leave, but is San Francisco even the most expensive city in America?
According to the most recent data, San Francisco, CA is actually the most expensive city in the United States. We used Saturday Night Science to compare the cost of living across cities. A big portion of that is housing costs, but things like healthcare, groceries, and utilities also play a role.
The least expensive city in America? Cleveland, OH.
$140,970 median income · $1,356,662 median home
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$181,506 median income · $1,543,132 median home
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$146,427 median income · $1,463,614 median home
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$136,719 median income · $1,557,982 median home
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$101,600 median income · $716,248 median home
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$123,860 median income · $868,680 median home
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$80,483 median income · $812,861 median home
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$142,114 median income · $823,811 median home
Data | Cost of living | Movers
$81,939 median income · $952,183 median home
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$108,077 median income · $1,001,265 median home
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is the United States’s statewide median.
the United States statewide median: $332,700
the United States statewide median: $80,734
On the map
Where the most expensive cities in America are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Most Expensive Cities To Live In The USA For 2026
To create our list of the most expensive cities in America, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the cost of living index across several bundles of goods for the 100 biggest cities in the United States.
We derived several statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2020-2024 around incomes and costs. They are:
- Overall Cost Of Living Index
- Median Home Price / Median Income (lower is better)
- Median Income / Median Rent (Higher is better)
- Median Home Price
To create a score, we ranked every city on its cost of living index. We crowned the city with the highest score as the “Most Expensive City In America For 2026.” We updated this article for 2026. This article is our eleventh time ranking the most expensive cities in the United States.
The full plate
Most Expensive Cities In The US For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Cost Of Living Index | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price | Home/Income Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | 247 | 830,235 | $140,970 | $1,356,662 | 10.0x |
| 2 | Fremont, CA | 227 | 228,295 | $181,506 | $1,543,132 | 9.0x |
| 3 | San Jose, CA | 216 | 990,138 | $146,427 | $1,463,614 | 10.0x |
| 4 | Irvine, CA | 209 | 311,690 | $136,719 | $1,557,982 | 11.0x |
| 5 | Oakland, CA | 190 | 439,418 | $101,600 | $716,248 | 7.0x |
| 6 | Seattle, WA | 181 | 754,195 | $123,860 | $868,680 | 7.0x |
| 7 | New York, NY | 180 | 8,483,844 | $80,483 | $812,861 | 10.0x |
| 8 | Arlington, VA | 180 | 236,254 | $142,114 | $823,811 | 6.0x |
| 9 | Los Angeles, CA | 179 | 3,857,263 | $81,939 | $952,183 | 12.0x |
| 10 | San Diego, CA | 175 | 1,389,526 | $108,077 | $1,001,265 | 9.0x |
| 11 | Boston, MA | 171 | 666,442 | $97,344 | $798,217 | 8.0x |
| 12 | Anaheim, CA | 168 | 344,521 | $95,227 | $950,504 | 10.0x |
| 13 | Santa Clarita, CA | 165 | 230,221 | $123,062 | $802,016 | 7.0x |
| 14 | Long Beach, CA | 163 | 455,548 | $87,430 | $857,861 | 10.0x |
| 15 | Santa Ana, CA | 161 | 312,534 | $93,999 | $866,066 | 9.0x |
| 16 | Chula Vista, CA | 161 | 276,375 | $108,032 | $846,372 | 8.0x |
| 17 | Jersey City, NJ | 146 | 294,078 | $97,710 | $658,269 | 7.0x |
| 18 | Scottsdale, AZ | 144 | 243,821 | $110,886 | $858,022 | 8.0x |
| 19 | Denver, CO | 142 | 718,877 | $94,718 | $539,666 | 6.0x |
| 20 | Portland, OR | 139 | 641,165 | $90,919 | $534,638 | 6.0x |
| 21 | Riverside, CA | 138 | 319,069 | $91,045 | $646,784 | 7.0x |
| 22 | Sacramento, CA | 137 | 528,706 | $87,321 | $479,766 | 5.0x |
| 23 | Miami, FL | 131 | 459,745 | $62,462 | $579,564 | 9.0x |
| 24 | Anchorage, AK | 130 | 288,976 | $103,284 | $410,782 | 4.0x |
| 25 | Gilbert, AZ | 129 | 280,262 | $122,551 | $572,507 | 5.0x |
| 26 | Aurora, CO | 127 | 394,432 | $88,368 | $463,081 | 5.0x |
| 27 | Henderson, NV | 127 | 332,141 | $90,138 | $486,156 | 5.0x |
| 28 | Stockton, CA | 126 | 322,326 | $79,907 | $431,328 | 5.0x |
| 29 | Tacoma, WA | 126 | 222,758 | $85,884 | $493,840 | 6.0x |
| 30 | Chandler, AZ | 125 | 280,136 | $108,095 | $524,156 | 5.0x |
| 31 | Reno, NV | 125 | 273,212 | $80,760 | $567,857 | 7.0x |
| 32 | Austin, TX | 124 | 979,539 | $93,658 | $508,530 | 5.0x |
| 33 | Bakersfield, CA | 124 | 411,986 | $80,540 | $396,047 | 5.0x |
| 34 | Fresno, CA | 122 | 545,970 | $70,991 | $391,328 | 6.0x |
| 35 | Colorado Springs, CO | 122 | 487,887 | $84,818 | $449,452 | 5.0x |
| 36 | Newark, NJ | 121 | 310,178 | $52,060 | $478,455 | 9.0x |
| 37 | Plano, TX | 120 | 290,594 | $112,253 | $498,989 | 4.0x |
| 38 | Enterprise, NV | 120 | 240,464 | $98,462 | $488,021 | 5.0x |
| 39 | Atlanta, GA | 119 | 505,268 | $85,652 | $385,599 | 5.0x |
| 40 | Virginia Beach, VA | 118 | 456,349 | $92,968 | $427,032 | 5.0x |
| 41 | Chesapeake, VA | 117 | 252,583 | $95,373 | $420,756 | 4.0x |
| 42 | Las Vegas, NV | 116 | 660,400 | $73,877 | $426,583 | 6.0x |
| 43 | Raleigh, NC | 116 | 481,031 | $85,395 | $433,996 | 5.0x |
| 44 | Minneapolis, MN | 116 | 427,246 | $80,846 | $330,882 | 4.0x |
| 45 | Tampa, FL | 116 | 401,618 | $75,475 | $374,888 | 5.0x |
| 46 | Orlando, FL | 116 | 319,758 | $72,336 | $374,136 | 5.0x |
| 47 | North Las Vegas, NV | 115 | 278,595 | $79,542 | $407,047 | 5.0x |
| 48 | Hialeah, FL | 115 | 226,165 | $55,594 | $443,804 | 8.0x |
| 49 | Chicago, IL | 114 | 2,711,226 | $77,902 | $317,283 | 4.0x |
| 50 | St. Petersburg, FL | 114 | 262,732 | $75,192 | $347,964 | 5.0x |
| 51 | Mesa, AZ | 112 | 511,764 | $82,752 | $435,134 | 5.0x |
| 52 | Port St. Lucie, FL | 112 | 232,491 | $80,648 | $383,298 | 5.0x |
| 53 | Richmond, VA | 112 | 229,359 | $64,587 | $369,646 | 6.0x |
| 54 | Phoenix, AZ | 111 | 1,642,323 | $81,332 | $410,169 | 5.0x |
| 55 | Durham, NC | 111 | 291,467 | $81,619 | $396,395 | 5.0x |
| 56 | Madison, WI | 110 | 278,001 | $78,050 | $423,767 | 5.0x |
| 57 | Jacksonville, FL | 109 | 977,670 | $69,872 | $282,895 | 4.0x |
| 58 | Baltimore, MD | 109 | 573,243 | $62,177 | $188,101 | 3.0x |
| 59 | Norfolk, VA | 109 | 233,596 | $66,109 | $306,227 | 5.0x |
| 60 | Spokane, WA | 109 | 230,293 | $70,064 | $395,325 | 6.0x |
| 61 | Charlotte, NC | 108 | 903,844 | $82,068 | $397,125 | 5.0x |
| 62 | New Orleans, LA | 108 | 371,853 | $56,631 | $242,493 | 4.0x |
| 63 | Glendale, AZ | 108 | 252,833 | $73,530 | $407,332 | 6.0x |
| 64 | Dallas, TX | 106 | 1,307,930 | $70,518 | $309,421 | 4.0x |
| 65 | Houston, TX | 104 | 2,328,253 | $64,813 | $264,336 | 4.0x |
| 66 | Fort Worth, TX | 104 | 963,194 | $79,507 | $298,051 | 4.0x |
| 67 | Philadelphia, PA | 103 | 1,579,706 | $61,953 | $231,815 | 4.0x |
| 68 | St. Paul, MN | 103 | 307,284 | $73,394 | $293,972 | 4.0x |
| 69 | Albuquerque, NM | 102 | 562,218 | $68,317 | $344,457 | 5.0x |
| 70 | Tucson, AZ | 102 | 547,073 | $57,073 | $324,023 | 6.0x |
| 71 | Irving, TX | 101 | 256,492 | $81,830 | $341,503 | 4.0x |
| 72 | Omaha, NE | 100 | 488,837 | $73,201 | $294,189 | 4.0x |
| 73 | Corpus Christi, TX | 100 | 317,419 | $67,394 | $223,502 | 3.0x |
| 74 | Garland, TX | 100 | 246,844 | $76,320 | $286,805 | 4.0x |
| 75 | Baton Rouge, LA | 100 | 222,771 | $49,994 | $228,415 | 5.0x |
| 76 | Arlington, TX | 99 | 397,742 | $75,171 | $310,971 | 4.0x |
| 77 | Greensboro, NC | 99 | 301,198 | $61,515 | $264,428 | 4.0x |
| 78 | San Antonio, TX | 98 | 1,479,835 | $65,056 | $249,810 | 4.0x |
| 79 | Kansas City, MO | 98 | 510,612 | $69,166 | $250,208 | 4.0x |
| 80 | Pittsburgh, PA | 98 | 304,759 | $65,742 | $237,533 | 4.0x |
| 81 | Buffalo, NY | 97 | 276,854 | $50,041 | $238,089 | 5.0x |
| 82 | Lubbock, TX | 97 | 264,814 | $60,895 | $209,436 | 3.0x |
| 83 | Columbus, OH | 96 | 914,802 | $66,082 | $245,979 | 4.0x |
| 84 | Oklahoma City, OK | 96 | 697,125 | $68,656 | $206,713 | 3.0x |
| 85 | Lincoln, NE | 96 | 294,856 | $71,867 | $291,062 | 4.0x |
| 86 | Huntsville, AL | 96 | 222,791 | $74,714 | $287,569 | 4.0x |
| 87 | El Paso, TX | 95 | 680,130 | $59,745 | $234,775 | 4.0x |
| 88 | Milwaukee, WI | 95 | 566,973 | $54,234 | $220,137 | 4.0x |
| 89 | Indianapolis, IN | 94 | 885,860 | $66,219 | $229,209 | 3.0x |
| 90 | Cincinnati, OH | 94 | 311,224 | $52,909 | $249,568 | 5.0x |
| 91 | Laredo, TX | 94 | 257,619 | $63,915 | $220,331 | 3.0x |
| 92 | Memphis, TN | 93 | 618,980 | $51,736 | $144,710 | 3.0x |
| 93 | Tulsa, OK | 93 | 413,794 | $59,838 | $217,450 | 4.0x |
| 94 | Winston-Salem, NC | 93 | 252,037 | $59,268 | $264,333 | 4.0x |
| 95 | Wichita, KS | 92 | 397,945 | $64,620 | $202,720 | 3.0x |
| 96 | Fort Wayne, IN | 91 | 268,589 | $61,422 | $242,385 | 4.0x |
| 97 | St. Louis, MO | 89 | 288,512 | $56,160 | $181,928 | 3.0x |
| 98 | Toledo, OH | 85 | 267,463 | $49,724 | $129,627 | 3.0x |
| 99 | Detroit, MI | 83 | 638,530 | $39,938 | $75,358 | 2.0x |
| 100 | Cleveland, OH | 80 | 366,097 | $40,801 | $115,537 | 3.0x |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, Zillow. The 100 largest US cities.
Summary
Summary: The Most Expensive Big Cities In The US
After measuring the cost of living in every city in the country, San Francisco is the most expensive city there is to live.
The cities in the United States with the highest cost of living are San Francisco, CA, Fremont, CA, San Jose, CA, Irvine, CA, Oakland, CA, Seattle, WA, New York, NY, Arlington, VA, Los Angeles, CA, and San Diego, CA.
My plan now? Stay in Durham for as long as I can — it’s one of the cheaper big cities to call home in America.
