Cost comparison
Compare rent, housing, utilities, groceries, salary needs, and move score across the city profiles currently available in LifeAtlas.
Iowa
Ames is a college-town and research market in Iowa, useful for starter comparisons around rent, housing, utilities, wages, benefits, insurance, and moving costs.
Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the regional jobs and family market in Iowa, promoted in source-ready batch 03 for comparisons around housing, wages, utilities, taxes, benefits, and moving costs.
Comparison
Ames has the lower salary-needed estimate, while Ames has the lower starter rent. Differences are shown as Cedar Rapids minus Ames.
| Metric | Ames | Cedar Rapids | Difference | Advantage | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $924 | $1,050 | +$126 | Ames | Ames has the lower median rent. |
| Home price | $197,800 | $230,000 | +$32,200 | Ames | Ames has the lower home price. |
| Utilities | $174/mo | $168/mo | -$6/mo | Cedar Rapids | Cedar Rapids has the lower utilities. |
| Groceries index | 97 | 95 | -2 | Cedar Rapids | Cedar Rapids has the lower groceries index. |
| Salary needed | $46,800 | $52,000 | +$5,200 | Ames | Ames has the lower salary needed. |
| Move score | 84/100 | 80/100 | -4 | Ames | Ames has the higher move score. |