Cost of living in Tulsa: rent, home prices and salary needed
The cost of living in Tulsa sits 10.8% under the US average. For 2024, the BEA regional price parity (RPP) of the Tulsa, OK metro area is 89.2, against 100 for the US, and housing alone comes to 68.2.
- Overall prices
- 89.2US = 100, BEA 2024
- Price level for housing
- 68.2. Rents, US = 100.
Cost of living index for Tulsa
A regional price parity compares the cost of the same goods and services in one place with the US average, which is set at 100. Within the Tulsa, OK metro area, BEA prices Tulsa and the rest of the region together. Housing (rents) is the category farthest from the US average, at 68.2, or 31.8% below the US figure.
| Price level, US = 100 | Tulsa, OK metro | Oklahoma | Metro against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 89.2 | 87.8 | −10.8% |
| Goods | 93.8 | 93.8 | −6.2% |
| Housing (rents) | 68.2 | 62.8 | −31.8% |
| Utilities | 73.9 | 73.9 | −26.1% |
| Other services | 95.5 | 95.5 | −4.5% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024 regional price parities for metro areas and states. BEA price parity data
Rents in Tulsa
Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI) puts the typical asking rent in Tulsa at $1,273 a month for homes listed now, +3.1% over a year. The US figure is $1,932. Census median gross rent counts every renting household, not only new leases, and comes to $1,099. One year of asking rent equals 25% of the median household income.
| Rent | Tulsa | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Typical asking rent, Zillow ZORI | $1,273 | $1,932 |
| Asking rent, 12-month change | +3.1% | |
| Median gross rent, Census ACS 2024 | $1,099 | $1,487 |
| Share of median income, one year of asking rent | 25% | 28% |
Data from Zillow Observed Rent Index and Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024, using its one-year estimates.
Tulsa home prices
In September 2026, ZHVI, the Zillow Home Value Index, valued a typical home in Tulsa at $217,760, a figure for a home sitting in the middle of the market. Year over year, that is +2.8%, and the US figure is $366,157. That works out to 3.6 years of median household income, against 4.5 years for the US.
| Home prices | Tulsa | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value, September 2026 | $217,760 | $366,157 |
| 12-month change | +2.8% | +1.2% |
| 10-year change | +89.7% | +77.4% |
| Price to income (years of median income) | 3.6 | 4.5 |
| Price to rent (years of asking rent) | 14.3 | 15.8 |
Days on market, the forecast, and the price chart since 2000: Tulsa housing market.
What salary you need to live in Tulsa
Where you live and what you earn decide the salary in Tulsa needed to buy what your pay buys now.
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The method, plus a cost of living comparison for each city that lines each one up next to the others.
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Tulsa cost of living compared with other cities
| City | Overall prices | Housing | Typical rent figure | Home value, typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tulsa | 89.2 | 68.2 | $1,273 | $217,760 |
| Oklahoma City | 90.4 | 73.9 | $1,285 | $204,979 |
| New York City | 112.6 | 148.6 | $4,089 | $825,854 |
| Los Angeles | 113.6 | 170.4 | $2,772 | $927,891 |
| Chicago | 103.6 | 112.0 | $2,311 | $334,108 |
| Houston | 98.6 | 104.5 | $1,544 | $259,465 |
| Phoenix | 103.3 | 121.2 | $1,571 | $404,067 |
| Philadelphia | 102.6 | 113.1 | $1,757 | $231,584 |
| San Antonio | 94.7 | 94.6 | $1,381 | $244,623 |
For price levels, see BEA's 2024 regional price parities, with the US set at 100. For rents, Zillow ZORI. Home value is Zillow ZHVI, September 2026.
All cities ranked: city cost of living comparison. All fifty states: cost of living by state.