Helena composite
34.0 /100
Grade D · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Helena vs Waterloo
Helena, MT and Waterloo-Cedar Falls, 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.
- 34.0
- Helena Life Score
- D
- Helena grade
- 71.5
- Waterloo Life Score
- A+
- Waterloo grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Helena scores higher on 1 (wages) and Waterloo on 6 (cost of living, rent, safety, schools, childcare, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Helena vs Waterloo across all seven dimensions (each scored 0–100 as a national percentile, bigger area = stronger overall)
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.
◖ Helena Waterloo ◗
cost of living
39
91
wages
58
45
rent
18
88
safety
24
72
schools
9
46
childcare
35
64
environment
39
95
Helena and Waterloo differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Helena has a cost-of-living index of 95.7 vs Waterloo's 87.1 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $66,812 in Helena and $61,344 in Waterloo. A 2-bedroom averages $1,748/mo vs $1,051/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Helena vs Waterloo Comparison
Helena (MT) and Waterloo (IA) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 95.7 for Helena against 87.1 for Waterloo, a 8.6-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $1,748/mo in Helena and $1,051/mo in Waterloo, a $697/mo difference that compounds to $8,364 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $66,812 across 38,620 jobs in Helena against $61,344 across 77,420 jobs in Waterloo. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Helena carries the same local purchasing power as $90,992 in Waterloo - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 426.4 per 100,000 residents in MT vs 238.5 in IA, with property-crime rates of 1645.6 and 1286.3 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: MT lists 826 public schools at a 11.8:1 student-teacher ratio, while IA lists 1,326 schools at 14.8:1, 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 $11,466/yr in the Helena area versus $8,306/yr in Waterloo - 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, Helena and Waterloo 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.
Waterloo composite
71.5 /100
Grade A+ · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
8.6 pts
Helena vs Waterloo BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$697 /mo
Helena priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Helena
Helena composite (Grade D)
Waterloo
Waterloo 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 | Helena | Waterloo |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 95.7 | 87.1 |
| Goods | 96.0 | 93.7 |
| Services | 72.6 | 83.7 |
| Rents | 90.1 | 63.1 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Waterloo gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Helena?
$
Equivalent in Waterloo:
$90,992
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Helena: 95.7, Waterloo: 87.1, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Helena | Waterloo |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,240/mo | $725/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,595/mo | $801/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,748/mo | $1,051/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $2,096/mo | $1,357/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $2,856/mo | $1,763/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Helena | Waterloo |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $66,812 | $61,344 |
| Total Employment | 38,620 | 77,420 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Helena (MT) | Waterloo (IA) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 426.4 | 238.5 |
| Property Crime | 1645.6 | 1286.3 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | MT | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 826 | 1,326 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 11.8:1 | 14.8:1 |
| Charter Schools | 0.0% | 0.3% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | MT | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $11,466/yr | $8,306/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $11,929/yr | $7,157/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $10,243/yr | $7,157/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | MT | IA |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 79 | 546 |
| Water Systems | 809 | 1,077 |
| Superfund Sites | 19 | 25 |
| Water Violations | 1,430 | 729 |
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 | Helena | Waterloo |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 46.0 | 48.0 |
| Good Air Days | 63.7% | 55.1% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 6 days | 0 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | MT | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 7/100 | 6/100 |
| Total Violations | 297,270 | 138,271 |
| Health-Based Violations | 25,922 | 27,946 |
| Systems with Violations | 94.7% | 95.2% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | MT | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 0/100 | 0/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| HPSA Designations | 315 | 448 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | MT | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 85/100 | 77/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 33.3 | 39.7 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 32.3 | 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 Helena more expensive than Waterloo? ▼
Helena has a cost of living index of 95.7 compared to Waterloo's 87.1 (national average = 100). Helena is 8.6 points above Waterloo on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Helena and Waterloo? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,748/mo in Helena vs $1,051/mo in Waterloo, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $1,240/mo to $725/mo.
How do salaries compare between Helena and Waterloo? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $66,812 in Helena and $61,344 in Waterloo, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Helena has the same purchasing power as $90,992 in Waterloo.
Is Helena or Waterloo safer? ▼
At the state level, MT has a violent crime rate of 426.4 per 100,000 residents compared to IA's 238.5 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 1645.6 vs 1286.3 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Helena and Waterloo? ▼
MT has 826 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 11.8:1, while IA has 1,326 schools at 14.8:1. Charter schools make up 0.0% of MT 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
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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.
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Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial