Compare Cost of Living Across 28 US Cities
Pick any two cities below to see a side-by-side breakdown of rent prices, income requirements, cost of living index, and roommate savings. All 28 metro areas use 2025 rent and income data so you can make relocation decisions based on real numbers, not guesswork.
New York City
NY
Austin
TX
Side-by-Side Metrics
New York City
Austin
$3,500
$1,500
$4,200
$1,900
$5,000
$2,400
$74,694
$75,752
187
114
8.3M
979K
Rent Comparison by Bedroom
Roommate Savings and Income Needed
New York City
Roommate savings (1BR solo vs 2BR split)
$1,400/mo
$16,800/year
Income needed (30% rule, 1BR)
$140,000/yr
Austin
Roommate savings (1BR solo vs 2BR split)
$550/mo
$6,600/year
Income needed (30% rule, 1BR)
$60,000/yr
Austin is more affordable for renters
1BR rent is $2,000/month cheaper, and you need $80,000 less annual income to meet the 30% rule.
Key Takeaway
Moving from New York City to Austin would save you $2,000/month on a 1-bedroom. You'd need $80,000 less annual income to meet the 30% rule. Austin's cost of living is 39% lower than New York City's.
How We Compare Cities
Every metric in this tool comes from publicly available data. Rent prices reflect 2025 averages for 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom apartments across each metro area. Median household income comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The cost of living index is a composite score (national average = 100) that factors in housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare.
Income requirements use the 30% rule: your monthly rent should not exceed 30% of gross monthly income. Roommate savings compare the cost of a solo 1-bedroom against your share of a 2-bedroom split evenly with one roommate. These are straightforward calculations with no hidden weighting.
For full details on our data sources and formulas, see our methodology page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is cost of living calculated for each city?
The cost of living index measures how expensive a city is relative to the national average (100). It factors in housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare. A city with an index of 150 is 50% more expensive than average. Our data covers 28 major US metro areas and is updated with 2025 rent and income figures.
What does the 30% rule mean for rent affordability?
The 30% rule states that your monthly rent should not exceed 30% of your gross monthly income. If you earn $5,000 per month, you should spend no more than $1,500 on rent. We use this standard to calculate the minimum annual income needed to afford a 1-bedroom apartment in each city.
How much can I save by getting a roommate?
Roommate savings vary by city. In expensive markets like New York City, splitting a 2-bedroom saves roughly $1,400 per month versus renting a 1-bedroom alone. Even in affordable cities like Houston, a roommate saves about $450 per month. Our comparison tool shows exact savings for any two cities side by side.
Which US city has the lowest cost of living?
Among the 28 cities in our comparison, San Antonio (index: 91) and Columbus (index: 95) consistently rank as the most affordable. Both offer 1-bedroom rents well below the national average and require significantly less income to meet the 30% rule compared to coastal cities.
Is this data accurate for 2025?
Yes. Our rent prices, median incomes, and cost of living indices are based on 2025 data from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and HUD Fair Market Rent estimates. We update city data as new figures become available.
Ready to run the numbers for your city?