Overall
89.0
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Cedar Rapids, IA
Cost-of-living indicators for Cedar Rapids, IA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 89.0
- Overall RPP
- #312
- of 387 metros
- 71.4
- Rents RPP
- $112K
- $100K national buys
Cedar Rapids ranks #312 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 3.9 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Wichita
The verdict
Cedar Rapids costs less than 81% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 89.0, 11.0% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 71.4.
- bottom 19%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.7
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 84.0
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $112,406 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $88,963.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Cedar Rapids's overall RPP fell -1.0 points, from 90.0 in 2023 to 89.0 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 88.8 to 84.0. 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 downward, decreasing by 3.9 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2013, when the index dropped 4.1 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Cedar Rapids overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 92.9 |
| 2009 | 93.4 |
| 2010 | 93.5 |
| 2011 | 92.7 |
| 2012 | 93.7 |
| 2013 | 89.7 |
| 2014 | 92.5 |
| 2015 | 92.4 |
| 2016 | 91.1 |
| 2017 | 91.7 |
| 2018 | 92.3 |
| 2019 | 92.1 |
| 2020 | 91.2 |
| 2021 | 92.0 |
| 2022 | 90.0 |
| 2023 | 90.0 |
| 2024 | 89.0 |
Housing-led affordability profile
How Cedar Rapids's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Cedar Rapids: rents index at 71.4, 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 89.0.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX, El Paso, TX, Fort Wayne, IN. They resemble Cedar Rapids 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, Cedar Rapids's overall index has fallen by 3.9 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.
Cedar Rapids vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
89 Bottom 19% higher than 19% 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
Cedar Rapids cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
71.4 RPP
- Services
Services
84 RPP
- Overall
Overall
89 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.7 RPP
What this shows Cedar Rapids's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 71.4 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 84.0. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Cedar Rapids's cost comes from
Metros near Cedar Rapids's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Cedar Rapids (Cedar Rapids, this metro): goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 71.4
- Wichita: goods RPP 94, rents RPP 66.2
- Pocatello: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 66.4
- Weirton: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 52.4
- Jackson: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 64.8
- Mansfield: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 54.9
- Davenport: goods RPP 94.2, rents RPP 68.3
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.7
Below avg
Services
84.0
Cheap
Rents
71.4
Cheap
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$88,963
in Cedar Rapids, IA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$44,481
$75,000 nationally
$66,722
$125,000 nationally
$111,204
$150,000 nationally
$133,445
$200,000 nationally
$177,926
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
66/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
66th 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 Cedar Rapids, IA near the bottom of IA's metros
Among the 8 IA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Cedar Rapids, IA ranks #3 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Cedar Rapids, IA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#3 of 8
0th percentile in IA
Services prices
#3 of 8
63rd percentile in IA
Rent prices
#3 of 8
63rd 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 Cedar Rapids, 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 (89.0 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (71.4 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 Ames, IA 88.8 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 Cedar Rapids'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.
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 Fort Wayne, IN
Goods 94.3 · Services 86.2 · Rents 72.3 Ames, IA
Goods 93.7 · Services 83.0 · Rents 69.2 Victoria, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 85.3 · Rents 69.3 Birmingham, AL
Goods 96.4 · Services 83.8 · Rents 71.9
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Cedar Rapids, IA's index of 89.0.
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 Cedar Rapids
How to read Cedar Rapids'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 $112,406 in Cedar Rapids. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 71.4, 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 Cedar Rapids 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 Cedar Rapids, IA?
Cedar Rapids, IA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 89.0, meaning it is 11.0% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.7, services at 84.0, and rents at 71.4. It ranks #312 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Cedar Rapids, IA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $88,963 in Cedar Rapids, IA. Conversely, $100K earned in Cedar Rapids, IA has the purchasing power of $112,406 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Cedar Rapids, IA?
Rents in Cedar Rapids, IA are indexed at 71.4, which is 28.6% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Cedar Rapids, IA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Cedar Rapids, IA's overall cost index changed by -3.9 points (from 92.9 to 89.0). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Cedar Rapids, IA?
The priciest category in Cedar Rapids, 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 71.4, 28.6% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Cedar Rapids, IA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Wichita, Pocatello, Weirton-Steubenville. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Cedar Rapids, IA's 89.0.
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.