Cedar Rapids, IA vs Tampa, FL
Moving from Cedar Rapids to Tampa? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($244,344 → $360,738 median home) and taxes.
Cedar Rapids vs Tampa 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 $113,877 in Tampa, FL (+$13,877).
Livability — Cedar Rapids, IA: 72 · Tampa, FL: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,376 sqft in Cedar Rapids vs 2,564 sqft in Tampa ($148 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Cedar Rapids, IA | Tampa, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,808 | $24,216 | +$9,408 |
| Groceries | $4,831 | $4,949 | +$117 |
| Transportation | $3,150 | $4,800 | +$1,650 |
| Utilities | $1,500 | $1,656 | +$156 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $4,200 | +$2,500 |
| Taxes | $9,296 | $4,642 | −$4,654 |
| Total | $35,285 | $44,463 | +$9,177 |
Side by side
| Metric | Cedar Rapids, IA | Tampa, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.0 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.63% | 4.92% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.12 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $244,344 | $360,738 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.2× | 5.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.6% | -3.4% |
| Price per square foot | $148 | $195 |
| Median rent | $1,234 | $2,018 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 7.02% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.80% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.64% | 0.80% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.00% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $4,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $1,400 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.9 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 12 | 52 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |