Cedar Rapids, IA vs San Antonio, TX
Moving from Cedar Rapids to San Antonio? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($244,344 → $280,297 median home) and taxes.
Cedar Rapids vs San Antonio at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Cedar Rapids, IA, you'd need about $104,825 in San Antonio, TX (+$4,825).
Livability — Cedar Rapids, IA: 72 · San Antonio, TX: 75 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,376 sqft in Cedar Rapids vs 3,745 sqft in San Antonio ($148 vs $134 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Cedar Rapids, IA | San Antonio, TX | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,808 | $16,848 | +$2,040 |
| Groceries | $4,831 | $4,647 | −$185 |
| Transportation | $3,150 | $3,675 | +$525 |
| Utilities | $1,500 | $1,836 | +$336 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $3,600 | +$1,900 |
| Taxes | $9,296 | $6,956 | −$2,340 |
| Total | $35,285 | $37,562 | +$2,276 |
Side by side
| Metric | Cedar Rapids, IA | San Antonio, TX |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.0 | 94.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.63% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 8.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.12 | $5.37 |
| Median home price | $244,344 | $280,297 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.2× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.6% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $148 | $134 |
| Median rent | $1,234 | $1,404 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 8.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 8.20% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.80% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.64% | 1.74% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.00% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.9 | 17.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 96 |
| Avg winter low °F | 12 | 38 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |