Cost of living comparison
compared to
Cedar Rapids vs. Dallas Cost of Living Summary
Cedar Rapids is 10.7% cheaper than Dallas.
- Restaurants
- pay 23.1% less in Cedar Rapids
- Groceries
- pay 8.8% less in Cedar Rapids
- Transportation
- pay 15.0% less in Cedar Rapids
- Housing
- pay 22.9% less in Cedar Rapids
- Childcare
- pay 25.6% less in Cedar Rapids
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 12.6% more in Cedar Rapids
- Clothing
- pay 7.7% more in Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids vs. Dallas Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Cedar Rapids instead of Dallas, you would:
pay 23.1% less for restaurants
Dallas | Cedar Rapids | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $20.00 | $15.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.00 | $11.50 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.75 | $1.92 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.25 | $1.52 | |
Dallas vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of restaurants
pay 8.8% less for groceries
Dallas | Cedar Rapids | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.71 | $2.64 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.58 | $7.12 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.63 | $3.07 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.85 | $2.83 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.88 | $4.93 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.31 | $2.25 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.69 | $0.54 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.03 | $2.41 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.77 | $2.13 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.05 | $1.16 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.42 | $1.04 | |
Dallas vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of groceries
pay 15.0% less for transportation
Dallas | Cedar Rapids | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.05 | $2.98 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $94.00 | $30.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $36,755.39 | $37,383.69 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $16.92 | $18.41 | |
Dallas vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of transportation
pay 22.9% less for housing
Dallas | Cedar Rapids | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $71.96 | $71.33 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,669.75 | $1,140.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,536.04 | $750.00 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $170.25 | $157.02 | |
Dallas vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of housing
pay 25.6% less for childcare
Dallas | Cedar Rapids | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,151.88 | $968.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $24,380.00 | $15,795.00 | |
Dallas vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of childcare
pay 12.6% more for entertainment and sports
Dallas | Cedar Rapids | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $7.00 | $4.50 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.63 | $5.46 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $10.00 | $9.26 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $45.12 | $100.50 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $14.75 | $12.75 | |
Dallas vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.7% more for clothing
Dallas | Cedar Rapids | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $55.69 | $62.47 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $48.92 | $63.33 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $110.63 | $128.26 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $130.88 | $95.67 | |
Dallas vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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