Overall
- Iowa City
- 91.5
- La Crosse-Onalaska
- 91.8
Diff +0.3 RPP
Iowa City vs La Crosse-Onalaska
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. La Crosse-Onalaska is 0.3% more expensive than Iowa City.
0.3% more expensive
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN is 0.3% more expensive than Iowa City, IA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 91.8 vs 91.5). A $100,000 salary in Iowa City buys about the same as $100,284 in La Crosse-Onalaska; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 91.5 (Iowa City) vs 91.8 (La Crosse-Onalaska)
- $100k in Iowa City ≈ $100,284 purchasing power in La Crosse-Onalaska
- Rents drives the gap (-14.6 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair IA:WI 91.5→91.8
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE IA × WI
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Iowa City
91.5
Cost Index
La Crosse-Onalaska
91.8
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Iowa City, IA and La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: La Crosse-Onalaska is 14.6 points lower. But rents move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Iowa City corresponds to $100,284 in La Crosse-Onalaska.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Iowa City
- 93.7
- La Crosse-Onalaska
- 93.8
Diff +0.1 RPP
Services
- Iowa City
- 83.7
- La Crosse-Onalaska
- 89.5
Diff +5.9 RPP
Rents
- Iowa City
- 84.0
- La Crosse-Onalaska
- 69.4
Diff -14.6 RPP
| Category | Iowa City | La Crosse-Onalaska | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 91.5 | 91.8 | +0.3 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 93.8 | +0.1 |
| Services | 83.7 | 89.5 | +5.9 |
| Rents | 84.0 | 69.4 | -14.6 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Iowa City 91.5
La Crosse-Onalaska 91.8
Goods
Iowa City 93.7
La Crosse-Onalaska 93.8
Services
Iowa City 83.7
La Crosse-Onalaska 89.5
Rents
Iowa City 84.0
La Crosse-Onalaska 69.4
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Iowa City would need to be in La Crosse-Onalaska for the same purchasing power:
| In Iowa City | In La Crosse-Onalaska | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,142 | +$142 |
| $75,000 | $75,213 | +$213 |
| $100,000 | $100,284 | +$284 |
| $150,000 | $150,426 | +$426 |
$ in Iowa City = in La Crosse-Onalaska
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (91.5 → 91.8), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is La Crosse-Onalaska more expensive than Iowa City?
La Crosse-Onalaska is 0.3% more expensive than Iowa City. The overall cost index is 91.8 vs 91.5 (national average = 100).
What salary in La Crosse-Onalaska equals $100K in Iowa City?
A $100,000 salary in Iowa City has the same purchasing power as $100,284 in La Crosse-Onalaska. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Iowa City and La Crosse-Onalaska?
Rents in Iowa City are indexed at 84.0 while La Crosse-Onalaska is at 69.4 (national average = 100). Iowa City has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.