Cost of living & value
Where high US incomes meet low costs
The best ratio of median household income to cost of living.
The real question is not what you earn but what it buys. These cities (50k+ residents) score best on high median household income against a low cost of living.
Published by WhereToHQ research. Calculated from committed source data with no generated editorial text.
What the ranking shows
- Flower Mound, TX ranks first after the weighted criteria; its median household income is $161,235.
- Across the 15 published entries, median household income ranges from $114,009 to $190,304. The other columns show tradeoffs that the headline order cannot capture.
| # | City | Median household income | Cost of living index | Median home price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flower Mound, TX78k | $161,235 | 119 | $560,200 |
| 2 | Naperville, IL151k | $155,105 | 116 | $540,200 |
| 3 | Johns Creek, GA82k | $160,093 | 122 | $629,400 |
| 4 | Carmel, IN102k | $141,505 | 106 | $486,800 |
| 5 | Frisco, TX219k | $150,212 | 124 | $642,100 |
| 6 | The Woodlands, TX121k | $140,701 | 112 | $511,700 |
| 7 | Sugar Land, TX110k | $136,217 | 107 | $430,200 |
| 8 | Fishers, IN102k | $130,203 | 100 | $391,000 |
| 9 | Highlands Ranch, CO102k | $159,307 | 135 | $712,700 |
| 10 | Newton, MA89k | $190,304 | 172 | $1,264,900 |
| 11 | Plymouth, MN79k | $136,534 | 112 | $491,200 |
| 12 | Cary, NC179k | $134,905 | 114 | $580,200 |
| 13 | Allen, TX110k | $130,901 | 110 | $464,100 |
| 14 | Castle Rock, CO79k | $145,197 | 126 | $652,900 |
| 15 | Olathe, KS145k | $114,009 | 93 | $364,700 |
Ranked from public data we track (US Census/ACS, BLS, EIA, FEMA, NOAA, Tax Foundation) and recomputed on every data refresh. Figures are estimates for comparison, not advice; open any city to see all facets.
Candidate rules: 50,000 or more residents. Ranking rule: weighted score using Median household income (5), Cost of living index (4).
WhereToHQ loads at most the 500 largest eligible national candidates, or 300 candidates for a state list, before applying the published rules. Missing values are excluded from a direct sort or hard filter. In a weighted score, an unknown value is neutral rather than favorable.