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 | Muncie | Waterloo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $842/mo | $865/mo | 2.7% lower in A |
| Median home value | $88,000 | $142,000 | 38.0% lower in A |
| Median household income | $40,309 | $54,104 | 25.5% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 94.9 | 94.5 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 88.0 | 86.1 | 2.3% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 98.5 | 94.1 | 4.6% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 99.1 | 94.8 | 4.6% 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 Muncie, you'd need $100,334 in Waterloo to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Muncie and Waterloo have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 7% lower in Muncie than in Waterloo. If you earn $80,000 in Muncie, you'd need about $80,267 in Waterloo to keep the same standard of living.