Cost comparison
Compare rent, housing, utilities, groceries, salary needs, and move score across the city profiles currently available in LifeAtlas.
Iowa
Cedar Falls is a supplemental starter city profile for the college and regional jobs market in Iowa, useful for route coverage and starter comparisons around rent, housing, utilities, wages, benefits, insurance, and moving costs.
Iowa
Des Moines is the state-capital insurance and job market in Iowa, promoted in source-ready batch 03 for comparisons around housing, wages, utilities, taxes, benefits, and moving costs.
Comparison
Cedar Falls has the lower salary-needed estimate, while Des Moines has the lower starter rent. Differences are shown as Des Moines minus Cedar Falls.
| Metric | Cedar Falls | Des Moines | Difference | Advantage | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,393 | $1,218 | -$175 | Des Moines | Des Moines has the lower median rent. |
| Home price | $265,455 | $271,400 | +$5,945 | Cedar Falls | Cedar Falls has the lower home price. |
| Utilities | $181/mo | $162/mo | -$19/mo | Des Moines | Des Moines has the lower utilities. |
| Groceries index | 99 | 94 | -5 | Des Moines | Des Moines has the lower groceries index. |
| Salary needed | $43,173 | $59,280 | +$16,107 | Cedar Falls | Cedar Falls has the lower salary needed. |
| Move score | 88/100 | 83/100 | -5 | Cedar Falls | Cedar Falls has the higher move score. |