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 | Salina | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,011/mo | $863/mo | 17.1% higher in A |
| Median home value | $247,500 | $155,500 | 59.2% higher in A |
| Median household income | $57,428 | $56,945 | 0.8% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 94.5 | 94.7 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 85.6 | 89.4 | 4.2% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 94.1 | 94.7 | 0.7% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 94.8 | 95.4 | 0.7% lower in A |
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 $99,905 in Salina to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Ames and Salina have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Ames, you'd need about $79,924 in Salina to keep the same standard of living.