Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Cedar Rapids's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Cedar Rapids?
Your $100,000 in Cedar Rapids has the same purchasing power as $119,990 in the average US city. You'd need $19,990 less here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Cedar Rapids's cost index of 83, sorted by closest match.
Wondering whether you should move to Cedar Rapids? It depends on what you're optimizing for, but the city has real arguments in its favor: your dollar carries more weight here and the labor market runs tight, plus 3 more things worth knowing. The data behind each is below.
Cedar Rapids sits at 83 on the composite cost-of-living index — about 17% under the national average. Not the cheapest place in the country, but enough of a discount to notice on rent and groceries every month. Median rent in town runs about $886/mo against a typical household income of $66,895, which is the kind of ratio that leaves room to save.
The unemployment rate in Cedar Rapids sits at roughly 3.9%, which is a tight labor market by US standards. Salaries get nudged up faster, openings are easier to find, and switching jobs is less of a leap than it is in a softer market.
Cedar Rapids earns a Walk Score of 62/100 — above the US median, with denser neighborhoods scoring higher than the citywide aggregate suggests. A car is still useful for longer trips, but everyday life works on foot for a lot of residents.
Cedar Rapids's air quality index averages about 43 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
The average one-way commute in Cedar Rapids is about 18 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
Reasons are pulled from Cedar Rapids's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Yes — and a lot of it. With winter averages near 17°F, Cedar Rapids sees real accumulation most years. Salt for the steps, tires that handle ice, and a sense of humor about February are the usual costs of admission.
Cold enough to plan around. Winter in Cedar Rapids averages roughly 17°F, with stretches where daytime highs don't break freezing for weeks. Decent insulation, a real coat, and a car that starts in cold weather are non-negotiable.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Cedar Rapids runs about 84°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Cedar Rapids falls in roughly USDA Zone 7. The zone classification is based on average annual minimum temperatures, so it's the right lookup for whether perennials and trees will overwinter here. Note that this is approximate from our winter-temperature data — check the USDA map for the exact zone before betting an expensive plant on it.
Cedar Rapids is at about 735 feet (224 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
Average for an American city. Cedar Rapids's reported crime rate of about 3,413 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
No — your dollar actually goes further here. Cedar Rapids's composite cost-of-living index is 83, roughly 17% under the US average. Housing is usually the biggest driver of the discount.
Somewhat. Cedar Rapids earns a Walk Score of 62/100 — many daily errands are doable on foot, especially in the denser neighborhoods, but a car still helps for longer trips. Transit Score is 27 out of 100.
Roughly $58,338 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Cedar Rapids runs about $886/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.