Cost of Living in Tulsa

What does it cost to live in Tulsa? Modelled monthly estimates: rent ~$1,150, food ~$390, total ~$2,350/mo for a single person (rounded to the nearest $50; exact line items below). Budgets for singles, couples and families.

Living in Tulsa costs a single person about $2,335 per month, covering rent, food, transport, utilities, healthcare, and everyday extras.

Indexed against New York City (=100), Tulsa scores 37, putting it in the low-cost bracket among tracked global cities.

What sets Tulsa apart: Rent runs about 34% below the North America average ($1,150 vs $1,755/month).

Tulsa Monthly Cost Breakdown (Single Person)

Where Tulsa Ranks

Within United States, Tulsa ranks 21st out of 177 tracked cities by monthly cost — 28% below the national average of $3,263.

Globally, Tulsa is the 440th cheapest of 744 tracked cities, and the 62nd cheapest of 270 in North America (regional average: $2,979/month).

Rent: The Number That Matters Most

A one-bedroom rental costs around $1,150 per month, which is about 49% of total monthly outgoings — the single biggest line item in nearly every household.

Household Cost Estimates

How to Interpret Tulsa's Cost Profile

Tulsa becomes easier to judge when the estimate is broken into trade-offs. A single person needs about $78 per day or $539 per week, but the practical question is whether the fixed costs leave enough room for savings, emergencies, and lifestyle choices.

Against the New York City baseline of 100, Tulsa scores 37. The annual single-person cost is about $28,020, while a couple should expect around $3,270/month and a family of four around $4,680/month. Those household figures are important because shared rent can make a city look far more affordable for couples than for solo movers.

Budget Pressure Points

The largest monthly line item is Rent at $1,150, equal to 49% of the total. The second-largest is Food & groceries at $390. Rent is usually the largest swing factor between neighborhoods and household types, while food & groceries is the daily spending category most affected by cooking habits and dining out. Together they explain why the same salary can feel comfortable in one city and tight in another.

• Fixed monthly floor: rent, utilities, healthcare, transport, and groceries total about $2,100 before leisure or discretionary spending.
• Flexible monthly room: leisure and optional lifestyle spending are roughly $235, which is the first place to adjust if your real costs run high.
• Rent sensitivity: every 10% change in rent moves the total budget by about $115/month.
• Income comfort line: modest living starts near $3,250/month gross, while comfortable living is closer to $5,000/month gross.

Local and Regional Ranking Context

Within United States, Tulsa ranks 21st cheapest out of 177 tracked cities. It is 28% below the country average of $3,263/month. Regionally, it ranks 62nd of 270 in North America and sits 22% below the regional average of $2,979.

This ranking context is often more useful than the raw total. A city can be expensive globally but reasonable for its country, or cheap globally but still one of the higher-cost places in its local market. Tulsa should therefore be compared both against nearby alternatives and against your personal income target.

Cities to Compare Before Deciding

Before treating Tulsa as a final choice, compare it with cities that sit close to the same monthly budget. Similar totals reveal whether you are paying for housing, transport convenience, food prices, or a broader lifestyle premium.

• Cleveland, United States — $2,350/month, very close to Tulsa.
• El Paso, United States — $2,320/month, very close to Tulsa.
• Regina, Canada — $2,355/month, very close to Tulsa.
• Memphis, United States — $2,310/month, very close to Tulsa.

Who Tulsa Fits Best

Tulsa works best for people whose income clears the fixed-cost floor with enough margin for savings. If your net income only matches the $2,335 monthly estimate, the city is technically possible but fragile: one rent increase, medical bill, or travel month can erase the buffer. If your net income is at least 25–35% above the estimate, the city becomes easier to manage because food, transport, and leisure choices stop competing with rent.

Use this page as a planning snapshot, not a guarantee. Neighborhood choice, lease terms, household size, insurance, commuting patterns, and how often you eat out can move the final number meaningfully. The safest next step is to compare Tulsa with at least two nearby alternatives, then test your salary or budget against the full monthly breakdown rather than relying on the headline total alone.

Tulsa Cost Fingerprint

Tulsa is middle-of-the-pack on global cost, driven mostly by healthcare (+312% vs world median). A single person needs roughly $2,335/mo to live here comfortably; a couple $3,270/mo. Rent stays a manageable 23% of a comfortable local salary.

What pushes costs up: healthcare sit clearly above the global median in our dataset.

Rent Bands by Area Type

What the Numbers Mean in Practice

On a comfortable local income, rent absorbs about 23% of gross pay, leaving roughly $2,665/month before tax after the full modelled monthly budget. Measured in working time, a month's rent costs about 37 hours of work, a monthly transit pass about 2 hours, a café coffee about 3 minutes, and a fast-food combo about 4 minutes. A remote worker on a $4,000/month contract would keep about $1,665 per month here after the same full budget, and a retired couple should plan for roughly $3,597/month.

Tulsa ranks 440 of 744 tracked cities by monthly cost for a single person, placing it in the 59th percentile globally.

Who Tulsa Works Well For

• Remote workers on USD income — A $4,000/mo remote salary leaves roughly $1,665/mo after essentials — real savings, not survival.
• First-time movers on a local salary — Rent takes only 23% of a comfortable local income — the healthy threshold most planners recommend.
• Car-free lifestyles — Public transport costs about $55/mo — most residents genuinely don't need a car.

Who Should Think Twice

• Anyone without employer health cover — Healthcare runs $350/mo. Without an employer or public plan, this is a serious line item.

Costs Newcomers Underestimate

• healthcare costs 312% more than the world median — this is the single line item newcomers most often underestimate in Tulsa.

What Things Actually Cost in Tulsa — 34+ Everyday Prices

Prices are shown in USD so they can be compared across cities, with a realistic low–high range instead of false point precision. Each item is anchored to a stored New York City reference price and scaled by Tulsa's cost index of 37 (NYC = 100). Treat them as planning estimates, not receipts.

Groceries in Tulsa

Restaurants & drinks in Tulsa

Transport in Tulsa

Personal care & health in Tulsa

Lifestyle & entertainment in Tulsa

Home services in Tulsa

Researched and written by The SnapCol Team — we maintain the SnapCostOfLiving dataset and review every Tulsa figure against our own category model before publishing.