City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Ames | Cedar Rapids | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,011/mo | $886/mo | 14.1% higher in A |
| Median home value | $247,500 | $167,900 | 47.4% higher in A |
| Median household income | $57,428 | $66,895 | 14.2% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 94.5 | 94.5 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 85.6 | 86.3 | 0.8% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 94.1 | 94.1 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 94.8 | 94.8 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Ames, you'd need $99,383 in Cedar Rapids to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Cedar Rapids, IA is about 0.6% cheaper overall than Ames, IA, based on our cost-of-living index. If you earn $80,000 in Ames, you'd need about $79,506 in Cedar Rapids to keep the same standard of living.