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 | New York | Waterloo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,714/mo | $865/mo | 98.2% higher in A |
| Median home value | $732,100 | $142,000 | 415.6% higher in A |
| Median household income | $76,607 | $54,104 | 41.6% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 108.1 | 94.5 | 14.4% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 133.1 | 86.1 | 54.7% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 104.3 | 94.1 | 10.8% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 104.1 | 94.8 | 9.8% 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 New York, you'd need $65,082 in Waterloo to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Waterloo, IA is about 34.9% cheaper overall than New York, NY, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 55% lower in Waterloo than in New York. If you earn $80,000 in New York, you'd need about $52,066 in Waterloo to keep the same standard of living.