City comparison
Ankeny, IA is about 100 miles (150 km) from Cedar Rapids, IA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 125 miles, or about 2 h behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Ankeny, IA to Cedar Rapids, IA takes about 12 min, covering roughly 100 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Cedar Rapids has a population of 136,929, vs 68,392 in Ankeny — about 2.0× larger by population. By land area, Cedar Rapids covers about 75 sq mi vs 32 sq mi for Ankeny.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
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 | Ankeny | Cedar Rapids | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,289/mo | $886/mo | 45.5% higher in Ankeny |
| Median home value | $281,700 | $167,900 | 67.8% higher in Ankeny |
| Median household income | $101,151 | $66,895 | 51.2% higher in Ankeny |
| Groceries index | 94.0 | 94.0 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 85.2 | 84.7 | 0.6% higher in Ankeny |
| Transportation index | 93.3 | 93.3 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 93.5 | 93.5 | ≈ 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 Ankeny, you'd need $92,889 in Cedar Rapids to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Cedar Rapids, IA is about 7.1% cheaper overall than Ankeny, IA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 21% higher in Ankeny than in Cedar Rapids. If you earn $80,000 in Ankeny, you'd need about $74,311 in Cedar Rapids to keep the same standard of living.