Cost of living comparison
compared to
Cedar Rapids vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Cedar Rapids is 7.3% cheaper than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.2% less in Cedar Rapids
- Groceries
-
pay 12.9% less in Cedar Rapids
- Transportation
-
pay 11.8% less in Cedar Rapids
- Housing
-
pay 17.6% less in Cedar Rapids
- Childcare
-
pay 31.0% less in Cedar Rapids
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 13.1% more in Cedar Rapids
- Clothing
-
pay 26.4% more in Cedar Rapids
The cost of clothing and entertainment and sports in Cedar Rapids are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including childcare, housing, restaurants, groceries, and transportation are lower in Cedar Rapids.
Cedar Rapids vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Cedar Rapids instead of United States, you would:
pay 17.2% less for restaurants
|
United States
|
Cedar Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$15.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$11.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$1.92
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$1.52
|
|
United States vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of restaurants
pay 12.9% less for groceries
|
United States
|
Cedar Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$2.64
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$7.12
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$3.07
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$2.83
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$4.93
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$2.25
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.54
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$2.41
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.13
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.16
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.04
|
|
United States vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of groceries
pay 11.8% less for transportation
|
United States
|
Cedar Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$30.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$37,383.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$18.41
|
|
United States vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of transportation
pay 17.6% less for housing
|
United States
|
Cedar Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$71.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$1,140.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$750.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$157.02
|
|
United States vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of housing
pay 31.0% less for childcare
|
United States
|
Cedar Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$968.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$15,795.00
|
|
United States vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of childcare
pay 13.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Cedar Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$4.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$5.46
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$9.26
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$100.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$12.75
|
|
United States vs. Cedar Rapids - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 26.4% more for clothing
|
United States
|
Cedar Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$62.47
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$63.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$128.26
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$95.67
|
|
United States 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: December 2025
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