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 | Hoover | Urbandale | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,352/mo | $1,108/mo | 22.0% higher in A |
| Median home value | $366,200 | $298,500 | 22.7% higher in A |
| Median household income | $101,765 | $111,888 | 9.0% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 97.1 | 94.5 | 2.7% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 87.1 | 86.7 | ≈ equal |
| Transportation index | 97.8 | 94.1 | 4.0% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 94.8 | 1.4% higher 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 Hoover, you'd need $99,956 in Urbandale to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Hoover and Urbandale have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 4% lower in Hoover than in Urbandale. If you earn $80,000 in Hoover, you'd need about $79,964 in Urbandale to keep the same standard of living.