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Oklahoma City vs Tulsa

Oklahoma City, OK  ·  Tulsa, OK

TL;DR

Oklahoma City cost-of-living index is 88 vs 86 for Tulsa (US = 100). Median home: $230,000 vs $205,000. Median rent: $848/mo vs $875/mo.

Source: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI · Census ACS, 2026-04-19

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Tulsa is 2% cheaper than Oklahoma City overall.

Written by Jere Salmisto, Founder & Quantitative Systems Builder, CalcFi·Reviewed by CalcFi Editorial·Last reviewed 2026-04-19

Home Price

Oklahoma: $230,000

Tulsa: $205,000

Monthly Rent

Oklahoma: $848/mo

Tulsa: $875/mo

COL Index

Oklahoma: 88

Tulsa: 86

Median Income

Oklahoma: $61,200

Tulsa: $57,400

Side-by-Side Comparison

Metric
Oklahoma City
Tulsa
Winner
🏠

Median Home Price

$230,000
$205,000
Tulsa
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Monthly Rent (Median)

$848/mo
$875/mo
Oklahoma City
💰

Median Household Income

$61,200
$57,400
Oklahoma City
📋

Property Tax Rate

0.9%
0.9%
Tied
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Cost of Living Index

100 = national average

88
86
Tulsa
🚗

Avg. Commute

22 min
21 min
Tulsa
📈

Unemployment Rate

3.3%
3.8%
Oklahoma City
👥

Median Age

35.3 yrs
35.8 yrs
Tulsa

What This Means For You

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Buying Power

A $100,000 salary in Oklahoma City has the same purchasing power as $97,727 in Tulsa — based on each city's cost of living index.

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Housing

Homes in Tulsa cost 11% more (-$25,000 extra). Expect a larger mortgage and down payment.

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Renting

Renting in Oklahoma City saves you $27/month — $324 per year. Median rent: $848/mo in Oklahoma City vs $875/mo in Tulsa.

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Property Taxes

On a median-priced home, Oklahoma City owners pay roughly $2,070/year in property taxes vs $1,845/year in Tulsa. Rates are comparable.

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Local Earnings

Median household income is $61,200 in Oklahoma City and $57,400 in Tulsa. Tulsa residents earn 6% more — but remember to factor in cost of living.

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Daily Commute

Average commute is 22 minutes in Oklahoma City vs 21 minutes in Tulsa. Commute times are nearly identical.

Salary Equivalence

To maintain the same lifestyle when moving from Oklahoma City to Tulsa, here's the salary you'd need:

Salary in Oklahoma CityEquivalent in TulsaDifference
$50,000$48,864-$1,136
$75,000$73,295-$1,705
$100,000$97,727-$2,273
$150,000$146,591-$3,409
$200,000$195,455-$4,545

* Calculated using cost of living indices (national average = 100). Does not account for state income tax differences.

Run the Numbers

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Mortgage Calculator

See monthly payments for homes in either city

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Rent vs Buy

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in these markets?

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Cost of Living

Full cost of living comparison tool

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Home Appreciation

Project future home value growth

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Affordability Calculator

How much home can you afford?

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Property Tax Calculator

Estimate taxes in Oklahoma City or Tulsa

Oklahoma City Calculators

→ Mortgage calculator for Oklahoma City→ Rent vs buy in Oklahoma City

Tulsa Calculators

→ Mortgage calculator for Tulsa→ Rent vs buy in Tulsa

Oklahoma City vs Tulsa: Common Questions

Is Oklahoma City or Tulsa cheaper to live in?

Based on cost of living indices, Tulsa is cheaper overall. Oklahoma City has a COL index of 88 while Tulsa scores 86 (national average = 100).

How do home prices compare between Oklahoma City and Tulsa?

The median home price in Oklahoma City is $230,000 vs $205,000 in Tulsa — a difference of $25,000 (11%).

What salary do I need in Tulsa to match my Oklahoma City income?

Use the salary equivalence table above. For example, a $100K salary in Oklahoma City is equivalent to $97,727 in Tulsa in terms of purchasing power.

Which city has lower property taxes?

Tulsa has a lower property tax rate (0.9% vs 0.9%). On a median-priced home, that means paying $1,845/year vs $2,070/year.

How does rent compare in Oklahoma City vs Tulsa?

Median monthly rent: $848 in Oklahoma City vs $875 in Tulsa. Annualized: $10,176 vs $10,500.

What is the median household income in each city?

Oklahoma City: $61,200/yr. Tulsa: $57,400/yr (Census ACS).

Which city is better for remote workers?

Lower-cost Tulsa typically lets remote-workers keeping a coastal salary stretch further. Higher-cost cities usually win on amenities and labor-market depth.

Where does the data on this comparison come from?

Numbers are pulled from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI (home values, rent), the U.S. Census Bureau ACS (income), and BEA RPP (cost-of-living index). Each value is timestamped on the page.

How often is this comparison updated?

Source feeds refresh on their native cadence — hourly for mortgage rates, monthly for ZHVI/ZORI, annually for ACS. Page caches revalidate every 24 hours via Next.js ISR.

Does this comparison replace tax or financial advice?

No. This page is educational reference using public data and standard formulas. It is not personalized tax, legal, or investment advice. Consult a licensed professional for material decisions.

Sources & Citations

  1. Zillow Research — Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) and Observed Rent Index (ZORI) — zillow.com/research/data
  2. U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates for median household income, median age, commute time — census.gov/acs
  3. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (RPP) by state and metro — bea.gov/rpp
  4. Tax Foundation — effective property tax rates and state tax rates — taxfoundation.org
  5. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — unemployment rates and regional CPI — bls.gov
  6. Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) — Cost of Living Index — coli.org
Methodology & Assumptions

City-level metrics (median home price, median rent, median household income, property tax rate, COL index, commute, unemployment, median age) are sourced from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI[1], Census ACS 5-year estimates[2], BEA Regional Price Parities[3], Tax Foundation[4], and BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics[5].

The Cost of Living Index uses 100 = national average (C2ER methodology[6]): values above 100 indicate a city is more expensive than the national average, below 100 less expensive.

Salary equivalence uses the ratio adjustedSalary = salary × (colDestination / colOrigin). This accounts for cost-of-living differences but does not model state income tax variation, which can be significant.

Annual property tax is computed as medianHomePrice × propertyTaxRate. Actual assessed value may differ from sale price. Effective rates vary within a metro; these are metro-wide medians.

Commute-hours calculations assume 250 working days/year and a round-trip commute. "Tied" in the comparison table means values within ±1% of each other.

Last reviewed reflects the maximum retrievedAt timestamp across every sourced dataset feeding this page. When any source refreshes, the next ISR revalidation (every 24 hours) picks the new date.

Cost of living data sourced from [6] C2ER, [2] U.S. Census Bureau, and [1] Zillow Research. Tax rates from [4] Tax Foundation. Last reviewed 2026-04-19.