Article Table Of Contents
Everyone wants a home that mixes affordability with comfort and Oklahoma does this very well. Families love the Sooner State's beaches, midlands, and mountains as tourists before moving here and calling it home.
But before you decide to relocate, you have to do some research into the exact cost of living around the state -- and that's how we're going to help you.
These are the places in Oklahoma that cost a pretty penny -- the most expensive cities in the state.
After we saved up for months and could finally afford it, we landed on this list of the ten most expensive cities in Oklahoma for 2023.
So where is the most expensive place to live in Oklahoma? That would be Stillwater.
the 2017-2021 American Community Survey for the 72 places in Oklahoma with more than 5,000 people.
What's the most expensive place to live in Oklahoma? Well, HomeSnacks crunched the numbers and discovered that Stillwater is the most expensive place to live in Oklahoma.
So hopefully Anadarko (the cheapest place to live in Oklahoma) can show these guys how to live on a budget in the coming years. Read on for how these places had costs rise faster than inflation.
And if you already knew these places were expensive, check out some more reading about Oklahoma and the most expensive cities in the country:
The 10 Most Expensive Places To Live In Oklahoma For 2023
1. Stillwater
/10
Population: 48,055
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 4.9x (most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 44.7x (most expensive)
More on Stillwater: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Stillwater comes in at $37,991 and the median home value is $186,600 for 2023.
2. Grove
/10
Population: 6,900
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 4.0x (2nd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 58.3x (23rd most expensive)
More on Grove: Real Estate | Data
The median income in Grove comes in at $45,184 and the median home value is $179,600 for 2023.
3. Elk City
/10
Population: 11,743
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.5x (4th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 57.2x (19th most expensive)
More on Elk City: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Elk City comes in at $44,159 and the median home value is $152,700 for 2023.
4. Guthrie
/10
Population: 10,767
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 10)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.1x (8th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 56.5x (16th most expensive)
More on Guthrie: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Guthrie comes in at $44,760 and the median home value is $140,500 for 2023.
5. Durant
/10
Population: 18,358
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.0x (10th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 51.1x (5th most expensive)
More on Durant: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Durant comes in at $41,009 and the median home value is $123,000 for 2023.
6. Norman
/10
Population: 125,745
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 3)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.2x (6th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 64.6x (45th most expensive)
More on Norman: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Norman comes in at $59,866 and the median home value is $192,700 for 2023.
7. Tahlequah
/10
Population: 16,213
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 4)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.4x (5th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 60.8x (32nd most expensive)
More on Tahlequah: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Tahlequah comes in at $44,416 and the median home value is $150,900 for 2023.
8. Tulsa
/10
Population: 410,652
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 2.9x (12th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 59.5x (28th most expensive)
More on Tulsa: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Tulsa comes in at $52,438 and the median home value is $151,500 for 2023.
9. Ardmore
/10
Population: 24,829
Rank Last Year: 24 (Up 15)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 2.7x (17th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 54.8x (10th most expensive)
More on Ardmore: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Ardmore comes in at $45,797 and the median home value is $124,000 for 2023.
10. Poteau
/10
Population: 8,741
Rank Last Year: 16 (Up 6)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.0x (11th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 55.2x (11th most expensive)
More on Poteau: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Poteau comes in at $40,711 and the median home value is $120,100 for 2023.
Methodology: How We Determined The Most Expensive Places To Live In The Sooner State For 2023
The two most important things to think about when it comes to being able to afford if you can live comes down to:
- How much do money do I make?
- How much do I have spend to live there?
You need to understand your costs in the context of how much money you make.
For example, if the median household earns $100,000 and spends $40,000 on housing it's actually cheaper to live there than a place with a median income of $50,000 and housing costs of $21,000. You might spend more on housing, but you have more money overall to play with.
With that example in mind, we derived several statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2017-2021 around incomes and costs. They are:
- Median Home Price / Median Income (lower is better)
- Median Income / Median Rent (Higher is better)
- Median Home Price
We added simply median home price because high home prices generally correlate with higher expenses for all costs related to homes (heating, electricity, etc).
You can then compare these metrics in each of the places in Oklahoma to figure out which is the most expensive.
What you are left with is a "Cost of Living Index" by taking the average rank of each of these metrics for each city.
So we used that cost of living index in order to rank all of the 72 places in Oklahoma that have more than 5,000 people.
The place with the highest cost of living in Oklahoma according to the data is Stillwater. You can download the data here.
Summary: Taking A Chunk Out Of Your Paycheck In Oklahoma For 2023
Well there you have it, the places in Oklahoma that have the highest cost of living, with Stillwater ranking as the most expensive city in the Sooner State.
Here's a look at the most affordable cities in Oklahoma according to the data:
- Anadarko
- Holdenville
- Clinton
For more Oklahoma reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Oklahoma
- Cheapest Places To Live In Oklahoma
- Most Dangerous Cities In Oklahoma
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Oklahoma
- Safest Places In Oklahoma
- Worst Places To Live In Oklahoma
Detailed List Of The Most Expensive Cities In Oklahoma
| Rank | City | ExpensiveScore |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stillwater | 4.33 |
| 2 | Grove | 13.33 |
| 3 | Elk City | 15.0 |
| 4 | Guthrie | 18.67 |
| 5 | Durant | 18.67 |
| 6 | Norman | 19.67 |
| 7 | Tahlequah | 21.0 |
| 8 | Tulsa | 21.17 |
| 9 | Ardmore | 21.67 |
| 10 | Poteau | 22.33 |
| 11 | Piedmont | 23.67 |
| 12 | Weatherford | 24.0 |
| 13 | Oklahoma City | 24.67 |
| 14 | Bethany | 25.33 |
| 15 | Claremore | 25.67 |
| 16 | Owasso | 25.67 |
| 17 | Edmond | 25.67 |
| 18 | Pryor Creek | 26.33 |
| 19 | Woodward | 27.5 |
| 20 | The Village | 28.33 |
| 21 | Ada | 29.17 |
| 22 | Bixby | 29.33 |
| 23 | Collinsville | 29.67 |
| 24 | Guymon | 31.0 |
| 25 | Jenks | 31.33 |
| 26 | Hugo | 31.33 |
| 27 | Wagoner | 31.67 |
| 28 | Blanchard | 33.0 |
| 29 | Midwest City | 34.33 |
| 30 | Shawnee | 34.33 |
| 31 | Moore | 34.67 |
| 32 | Coweta | 35.0 |
| 33 | Newcastle | 36.0 |
| 34 | Harrah | 36.0 |
| 35 | Mcalester | 36.33 |
| 36 | Warr Acres | 36.33 |
| 37 | Vinita | 37.0 |
| 38 | El Reno | 37.33 |
| 39 | Lawton | 37.5 |
| 40 | Broken Arrow | 37.67 |
| 41 | Muskogee | 38.0 |
| 42 | Sallisaw | 38.33 |
| 43 | Sand Springs | 39.17 |
| 44 | Sapulpa | 39.33 |
| 45 | Tuttle | 40.33 |
| 46 | Mustang | 41.33 |
| 47 | Idabel | 41.67 |
| 48 | Choctaw | 42.0 |
| 49 | Purcell | 42.33 |
| 50 | Del City | 42.67 |
| 51 | Miami | 43.0 |
| 52 | Glenpool | 43.83 |
| 53 | Okmulgee | 44.5 |
| 54 | Bartlesville | 46.0 |
| 55 | Seminole | 46.33 |
| 56 | Henryetta | 47.5 |
| 57 | Enid | 49.33 |
| 58 | Pauls Valley | 49.33 |
| 59 | Alva | 51.0 |
| 60 | Yukon | 51.0 |
| 61 | Duncan | 51.67 |
| 62 | Noble | 51.67 |
| 63 | Ponca City | 52.0 |
| 64 | Cushing | 52.33 |
| 65 | Catoosa | 54.67 |
| 66 | Blackwell | 56.67 |
| 67 | Tecumseh | 57.33 |
| 68 | Altus | 57.67 |
| 69 | Chickasha | 59.33 |
| 70 | Clinton | 61.0 |
| 71 | Holdenville | 65.67 |
| 72 | Anadarko | 68.33 |
