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 | Little Rock | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,011/mo | $1,006/mo | 0.5% higher in A |
| Median home value | $247,500 | $205,800 | 20.3% higher in A |
| Median household income | $57,428 | $58,697 | 2.2% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 94.5 | 95.1 | 0.6% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 85.6 | 80.7 | 6.1% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 94.1 | 96.9 | 2.8% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 94.8 | 95.1 | ≈ 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 $99,988 in Little Rock to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Ames and Little Rock have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Ames, you'd need about $79,991 in Little Rock to keep the same standard of living.