Cost of living in Cedar Falls research summary. The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in the United States. A cost of living index above 100 means Cedar Falls is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.
On a city-by-city basis in Iowa, home prices and rent have the biggest impact on the cost of living. Here are the key takeaways based on Saturday Night Science:
The cost of living index in Cedar Falls is 93, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Cedar Falls is 0.9x lower than the national average.
Cedar Falls ranks as the #57 cheapest in Iowa out of 80.
Cedar Falls ranks as the #2,137 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Cedar Falls is $211,000.
The median income in Cedar Falls is $66,838.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Cedar Falls has an overall cost of living index of 93, which is 0.9x lower than the national index of 100.
Compared to Iowa, Cedar Falls has a cost of living index that's 1.0x higher than Iowa's index of 89.
The standard of living in Cedar Falls ranks as #57 most affordable out of the 80 places we measured in Iowa. By definition, that implies Cedar Falls ranks as the #23 most expensive place in the Hawkeye State.
For more reading on life in Cedar Falls, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Cedar Falls. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Cedar Falls is 92.
The Groceries index in Cedar Falls is 94.
The Health index in Cedar Falls is 94.
The Housing index in Cedar Falls is 88.
The Transportation index in Cedar Falls is 92.
The Utilities index in Cedar Falls is 87.
Living Expense | Cedar Falls | Iowa | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 93 | 89 | 100 | |
Services | 92 | 95 | 100 | |
Groceries | 94 | 98 | 100 | |
Health | 94 | 99 | 100 | |
Housing | 88 | 73 | 100 | |
Transportation | 92 | 98 | 100 | |
Utilities | 87 | 94 | 100 |
Housing swings affordability the most between places in Iowa, so we broke down housing costs into more detail. Home and income data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2017-2021. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Cedar Falls is $211,000.
The Median Rent in Cedar Falls is $991.
The Median Income in Cedar Falls is $66,838.
The Home Value To Income in Cedar Falls is 3.2x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Cedar Falls is 0.18x.
Statistic | Cedar Falls | Iowa | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $211,000 | $160,700 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $991 | $845 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $66,838 | $65,429 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 3.2x | 2.5x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.18x | 0.15x | 0.2x |
Item | Cedar Falls | Iowa |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $0.99 | $1.06 |
Movie | $12.04 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $11.0 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $16.57 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $20.6 | $39.05 |
Item | Cedar Falls | Iowa |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $3.12 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.58 | $1.39 |
Milk | $1.91 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $2.05 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $9.99 | $10.62 |
Beer | $8.99 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $2.77 | $2.34 |
Item | Cedar Falls | Iowa |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $125.0 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $109.42 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $80.33 | $99.13 |
Item | Cedar Falls | Iowa |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $2.66 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $39.99 | $50.07 |
Item | Cedar Falls | Iowa |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $127.07 | $167.67 |
Phone | $177.99 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Cedar Falls. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Waterloo, IA has a cost of living index of 84, 0.9x Cedar Falls.
Marshalltown, IA has a cost of living index of 88, 0.9x Cedar Falls.
La Porte, IN has a cost of living index of 83, 0.9x Cedar Falls.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Cedar Falls |
---|---|---|---|
Waterloo, IA | 67,695 | 84 | 0.9x |
Marshalltown, IA | 27,570 | 88 | 0.9x |
La Porte, IN | 21,993 | 83 | 0.9x |
Waverly, IA | 10,278 | 90 | 1.0x |
Independence, IA | 6,088 | 81 | 0.9x |
Oelwein, IA | 5,961 | 76 | 0.8x |
Iowa Falls, IA | 5,154 | 83 | 0.9x |