Cedar Rapids composite
64.3 /100
Grade A · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Cedar Rapids vs Des Moines
Cedar Rapids, IA and Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 64.3
- Cedar Rapids Life Score
- A
- Cedar Rapids grade
- 59.9
- Des Moines Life Score
- A-
- Des Moines grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Cedar Rapids scores higher on 4 (cost of living, rent, safety, childcare) and Des Moines on 3 (wages, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Cedar Rapids Des Moines ◗
cost of living
81
65
wages
44
74
rent
97
49
safety
81
81
schools
47
48
childcare
66
65
environment
13
13
Cedar Rapids and Des Moines differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Cedar Rapids has a cost-of-living index of 89.0 vs Des Moines's 91.7 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $63,268 in Cedar Rapids and $69,930 in Des Moines. A 2-bedroom averages $956/mo vs $1,318/mo.
Beyond the headline numbers
Reading the Cedar Rapids vs Des Moines Comparison
The cost gap above compounds fastest through housing: the difference in HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent between Cedar Rapids and Des Moines works out to $4,344 over a year, the largest single line item behind the headline spread.
Adjusted for cost of living rather than compared as nominal dollars, $100,000 earned in Cedar Rapids carries the same local purchasing power as $103,078 in Des Moines - the more honest read than the salary headline above, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 238.5 per 100,000 residents in IA vs 238.5 in IA, with property-crime rates of 1286.3 and 1286.3 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: IA lists 1,326 public schools at a 14.1:1 student-teacher ratio, while IA lists 1,326 schools at 14.1:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $8,306/yr in the Cedar Rapids area versus $8,306/yr in Des Moines - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Cedar Rapids and Des Moines are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Des Moines composite
59.9 /100
Grade A- · weighted across 7 dims
Environment score gap
1 pts
Des Moines cleaner, national percentile
Safety score gap
1 pts
Cedar Rapids safer, national percentile
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids composite (Grade A)
Des Moines
Des Moines composite (Grade A-)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Cedar Rapids | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 89.0 | 91.7 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 93.7 |
| Services | 84.0 | 84.6 |
| Rents | 71.4 | 84.7 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Des Moines gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Cedar Rapids?
$
Equivalent in Des Moines:
$103,078
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Cedar Rapids: 89.0, Des Moines: 91.7, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Cedar Rapids | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $659/mo | $1,063/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $729/mo | $1,109/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $956/mo | $1,318/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,209/mo | $1,794/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,348/mo | $1,841/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Cedar Rapids | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $63,268 | $69,930 |
| Total Employment | 133,750 | 394,120 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Cedar Rapids (IA) | Des Moines (IA) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 238.5 | 238.5 |
| Property Crime | 1286.3 | 1286.3 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | IA | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 1,326 | 1,326 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 14.1:1 | 14.1:1 |
| Charter Schools | 0.3% | 0.3% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | IA | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $8,306/yr | $8,306/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $7,157/yr | $7,157/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $7,157/yr | $7,157/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | IA | IA |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 546 | 546 |
| Water Systems | 1,078 | 1,078 |
| Superfund Sites | 25 | 25 |
| Water Violations | 742 | 742 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Cedar Rapids | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 44.0 | 44.0 |
| Good Air Days | 61.4% | 61.4% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 5 days | 2 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | IA | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 6/100 | 6/100 |
| Total Violations | 138,271 | 138,271 |
| Health-Based Violations | 27,946 | 27,946 |
| Systems with Violations | 95.2% | 95.2% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | IA | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 56/100 | 56/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 44.1% | 44.1% |
| HPSA Designations | 447 | 447 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | IA | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 77/100 | 77/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 39.7 | 39.7 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 47.9 | 47.9 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cedar Rapids more expensive than Des Moines? ▼
Cedar Rapids has a cost of living index of 89.0 compared to Des Moines's 91.7 (national average = 100). Des Moines is 2.7 points above Cedar Rapids on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Cedar Rapids and Des Moines? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $956/mo in Cedar Rapids vs $1,318/mo in Des Moines, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $659/mo to $1,063/mo.
How do salaries compare between Cedar Rapids and Des Moines? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $63,268 in Cedar Rapids and $69,930 in Des Moines, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Cedar Rapids has the same purchasing power as $103,078 in Des Moines.
Is Cedar Rapids or Des Moines safer? ▼
At the state level, IA has a violent crime rate of 238.5 per 100,000 residents compared to IA's 238.5 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 1286.3 vs 1286.3 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Cedar Rapids and Des Moines? ▼
IA has 1,326 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 14.1:1, while IA has 1,326 schools at 14.1:1. Charter schools make up 0.3% of IA schools vs 0.3% in IA. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
Research Guides
Explore more
Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare