Oklahoma City composite
52.5 /100
Grade B · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Oklahoma City vs Tulsa
Oklahoma City, OK and Tulsa, OK side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 52.5
- Oklahoma City Life Score
- B
- Oklahoma City grade
- 55.1
- Tulsa Life Score
- B
- Tulsa grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Oklahoma City scores higher on 3 (wages, safety, childcare) and Tulsa on 4 (cost of living, rent, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Oklahoma City vs Tulsa across all seven dimensions (each scored 0–100 as a national percentile, bigger area = stronger overall)
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Oklahoma City Tulsa ◗
cost of living
73
79
wages
43
34
rent
58
61
safety
23
23
schools
61
62
childcare
45
45
environment
66
91
Oklahoma City and Tulsa differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Oklahoma City has a cost-of-living index of 90.4 vs Tulsa's 89.2 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $63,824 in Oklahoma City and $61,480 in Tulsa. A 2-bedroom averages $1,244/mo vs $1,217/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Oklahoma City vs Tulsa Comparison
Oklahoma City (OK) and Tulsa (OK) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 90.4 for Oklahoma City against 89.2 for Tulsa, a 1.2-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $1,244/mo in Oklahoma City and $1,217/mo in Tulsa, a $27/mo difference that compounds to $324 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $63,824 across 665,370 jobs in Oklahoma City against $61,480 across 445,680 jobs in Tulsa. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Oklahoma City carries the same local purchasing power as $98,679 in Tulsa - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 427.9 per 100,000 residents in OK vs 427.9 in OK, with property-crime rates of 2008.3 and 2008.3 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: OK lists 1,778 public schools at a 16.1:1 student-teacher ratio, while OK lists 1,778 schools at 16.1:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $10,666/yr in the Oklahoma City area versus $10,666/yr in Tulsa - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Oklahoma City and Tulsa are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Tulsa composite
55.1 /100
Grade B · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
1.2 pts
Oklahoma City vs Tulsa BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$27 /mo
Oklahoma City priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City composite (Grade B)
Tulsa
Tulsa composite (Grade B)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Oklahoma City | Tulsa |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 90.4 | 89.2 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 93.8 |
| Services | 74.1 | 73.9 |
| Rents | 73.9 | 68.2 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Tulsa gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Oklahoma City?
$
Equivalent in Tulsa:
$98,679
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Oklahoma City: 90.4, Tulsa: 89.2, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Oklahoma City | Tulsa |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $939/mo | $933/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,017/mo | $987/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,244/mo | $1,217/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,675/mo | $1,602/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,857/mo | $1,858/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Oklahoma City | Tulsa |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $63,824 | $61,480 |
| Total Employment | 665,370 | 445,680 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Oklahoma City (OK) | Tulsa (OK) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 427.9 | 427.9 |
| Property Crime | 2008.3 | 2008.3 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | OK | OK |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 1,778 | 1,778 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 16.1:1 | 16.1:1 |
| Charter Schools | 3.5% | 3.5% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | OK | OK |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $10,666/yr | $10,666/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $9,220/yr | $9,220/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $9,220/yr | $9,220/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | OK | OK |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 485 | 485 |
| Water Systems | 883 | 883 |
| Superfund Sites | 18 | 18 |
| Water Violations | 28,341 | 28,341 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Oklahoma City | Tulsa |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 53.0 | 51.0 |
| Good Air Days | 40.7% | 46.2% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 17 days | 13 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | OK | OK |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 2/100 | 2/100 |
| Total Violations | 336,706 | 336,706 |
| Health-Based Violations | 113,804 | 113,804 |
| Systems with Violations | 98.2% | 98.2% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | OK | OK |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 0/100 | 0/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| HPSA Designations | 460 | 460 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | OK | OK |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 56/100 | 56/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 55.5 | 55.5 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 50.0 | 50.0 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Oklahoma City more expensive than Tulsa? ▼
Oklahoma City has a cost of living index of 90.4 compared to Tulsa's 89.2 (national average = 100). Oklahoma City is 1.2 points above Tulsa on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Oklahoma City and Tulsa? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,244/mo in Oklahoma City vs $1,217/mo in Tulsa, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $939/mo to $933/mo.
How do salaries compare between Oklahoma City and Tulsa? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $63,824 in Oklahoma City and $61,480 in Tulsa, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Oklahoma City has the same purchasing power as $98,679 in Tulsa.
Is Oklahoma City or Tulsa safer? ▼
At the state level, OK has a violent crime rate of 427.9 per 100,000 residents compared to OK's 427.9 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 2008.3 vs 2008.3 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Oklahoma City and Tulsa? ▼
OK has 1,778 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 16.1:1, while OK has 1,778 schools at 16.1:1. Charter schools make up 3.5% of OK schools vs 3.5% in OK. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
Research Guides
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Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial