Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Stillwater's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Stillwater?
Your $100,000 in Stillwater has the same purchasing power as $118,455 in the average US city. You'd need $18,455 less here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Stillwater's cost index of 84, sorted by closest match.
People moving to Stillwater usually have at least one specific reason. Most of them line up with what the data shows: living costs come in under the us baseline, on the calmer side of the national distribution, plus 3 more things worth knowing. Here's what's actually on the table.
Stillwater sits at 84 on the composite cost-of-living index — about 16% under the national average. Not the cheapest place in the country, but enough of a discount to notice on rent and groceries every month. Median rent in town runs about $921/mo against a typical household income of $39,998, which is the kind of ratio that leaves room to save.
Stillwater reports about 2,240 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — a step below the US average of around 3,500. The citywide number averages over neighborhoods that can vary a lot, but the headline number is friendlier than most American cities of comparable size.
Stillwater's Bike Score is 67/100 — the kind of number you only get when a city has built real bike infrastructure (protected lanes, connected routes, drivers who expect cyclists). For commuting or just for getting around, the bike is a serious option here, not a hobby.
The average one-way commute in Stillwater is about 16 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
51% of adults 25 and over in Stillwater hold a bachelor's degree or higher — meaningfully above the US average of around 36%. That correlates with the things you'd expect: stronger schools, more white-collar employers, more bookstores than the population alone would predict.
Reasons are pulled from Stillwater's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Snow is a regular feature, not a surprise. With winter temperatures hovering near 29°F, Stillwater sees enough snowfall that locals don't think twice about it but also enough mild stretches that nobody owns three pairs of boots.
Cold but workable. Winter in Stillwater averages about 29°F — colder than the national norm, mild compared to the upper Midwest. A solid coat handles most days; the genuine cold snaps are short.
Genuinely hot. Summer in Stillwater averages about 91°F, and peak afternoons run well over a hundred. Outdoor plans move to mornings and evenings; AC is the most-used appliance in the house.
Zone 8, give or take a half-zone. Stillwater's typical winter low puts it in that band on the USDA Hardiness map, which is what nurseries label plants against. Use Zone 8 as your starting filter; the USDA's interactive map is more precise for borderline cases.
Stillwater is at about 958 feet (292 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
Average for an American city. Stillwater's reported crime rate of about 2,240 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
No — your dollar actually goes further here. Stillwater's composite cost-of-living index is 84, roughly 16% under the US average. Housing is usually the biggest driver of the discount.
Mostly car-dependent. Stillwater's Walk Score of 26/100 means a handful of errands work on foot — depending on the neighborhood — but most residents still need a car for the rest.
Roughly $59,094 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Stillwater runs about $921/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.