Indianapolis, IN vs Cedar Rapids, IA
Moving from Indianapolis to Cedar Rapids? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $244,344 median home) and taxes.
Indianapolis vs Cedar Rapids 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 Indianapolis, IN, you'd need about $95,072 in Cedar Rapids, IA (−$4,928).
Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · Cedar Rapids, IA: 72 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 3,376 sqft in Cedar Rapids ($156 vs $148 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Indianapolis, IN | Cedar Rapids, IA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,636 | $14,808 | −$3,828 |
| Groceries | $4,740 | $4,831 | +$91 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,150 | −$100 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,500 | −$432 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,700 | +$100 |
| Taxes | $7,367 | $9,296 | +$1,929 |
| Total | $37,525 | $35,285 | −$2,240 |
Side by side
| Metric | Indianapolis, IN | Cedar Rapids, IA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 90.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.28% | 3.63% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 44 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $5.12 |
| Median home price | $295,921 | $244,344 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 3.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | 3.6% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $148 |
| Median rent | $1,553 | $1,234 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 11.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 6.94% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 3.80% |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 1.64% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | 1.00% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 20 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 13.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 12 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |