Overall
88.8
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Ames, IA
Cost-of-living indicators for Ames, IA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 88.8
- Overall RPP
- #316
- of 387 metros
- 69.2
- Rents RPP
- $113K
- $100K national buys
Ames ranks #316 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has risen 6.4 points since 2008.
- rising since 2008
- similar cost to Topeka
The verdict
Ames costs less than 82% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 88.8, 11.2% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 69.2.
- bottom 18%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.7
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 83.0
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $112,575 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $88,830.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Ames's overall RPP fell -2.6 points, from 91.5 in 2023 to 88.8 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 79.8 to 69.2. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending upward, increasing by 6.4 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2009, when the index jumped 7.6 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Ames overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 82.4 |
| 2009 | 90.0 |
| 2010 | 92.9 |
| 2011 | 91.7 |
| 2012 | 92.3 |
| 2013 | 94.4 |
| 2014 | 92.9 |
| 2015 | 90.0 |
| 2016 | 88.7 |
| 2017 | 89.7 |
| 2018 | 93.9 |
| 2019 | 95.9 |
| 2020 | 93.1 |
| 2021 | 91.5 |
| 2022 | 88.4 |
| 2023 | 91.5 |
| 2024 | 88.8 |
Housing-led affordability profile
How Ames's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Ames: rents index at 69.2, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 88.8.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Wichita Falls, TX, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX, El Paso, TX. They resemble Ames across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Ames's overall index has risen by 6.4 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Ames vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
89 Bottom 18% higher than 18% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Ames cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
69.2 RPP
- Services
Services
83 RPP
- Overall
Overall
88.8 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.7 RPP
What this shows Ames's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 69.2 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 83.0. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Ames's cost comes from
Metros near Ames's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Ames (Ames, this metro): goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 69.2
- Topeka: goods RPP 94, rents RPP 65
- Mansfield: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 54.9
- Duluth: goods RPP 95.3, rents RPP 71.1
- Pocatello: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 66.4
- Charleston: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 51.4
- Wichita: goods RPP 94, rents RPP 66.2
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.7
Below avg
Services
83.0
Cheap
Rents
69.2
Cheap
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$88,830
in Ames, IA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$44,415
$75,000 nationally
$66,623
$125,000 nationally
$111,038
$150,000 nationally
$133,245
$200,000 nationally
$177,660
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
70/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
70th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
IA-relative analysis
Goods prices places Ames, IA near the bottom of IA's metros
Among the 8 IA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Ames, IA ranks #3 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Ames, IA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#3 of 8
0th percentile in IA
Services prices
#6 of 8
25th percentile in IA
Rent prices
#4 of 8
50th percentile in IA
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within IA only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Ames, IA: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (88.8 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (69.2 here).
Other IA Metros
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 91.7 Iowa City, IA 91.5 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL 89.1 Cedar Rapids, IA 89.0 Dubuque, IA 87.3 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA 87.1
View all IA metros → Cheapest in IA → Most expensive in IA →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Ames's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Wichita Falls, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 84.1 · Rents 68.2 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 83.1 · Rents 70.9 El Paso, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 82.6 · Rents 71.2 Victoria, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 85.3 · Rents 69.3 Longview, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 83.5 · Rents 66.7 Cedar Rapids, IA
Goods 93.7 · Services 84.0 · Rents 71.4
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Ames, IA's index of 88.8.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Ames
How to read Ames's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $112,575 in Ames. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 69.2, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Ames head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Ames, IA?
Ames, IA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 88.8, meaning it is 11.2% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.7, services at 83.0, and rents at 69.2. It ranks #316 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Ames, IA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $88,830 in Ames, IA. Conversely, $100K earned in Ames, IA has the purchasing power of $112,575 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Ames, IA?
Rents in Ames, IA are indexed at 69.2, which is 30.8% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Ames, IA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Ames, IA's overall cost index changed by +6.4 points (from 82.4 to 88.8). The cost of living has been trending upward.
What costs the most in Ames, IA?
The priciest category in Ames, IA is goods at 93.7, 6.3% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 69.2, 30.8% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Ames, IA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Topeka, Mansfield, Duluth. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Ames, IA's 88.8.
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.