Ames, IA
A flat 3.8% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $898 and 207 sunny days; commutes average 19 minutes.
Left over monthly
$2,421
Versus Chicago
+$41/mo
+$492 a year
Local pay for your job
$74,766
Local wages run -20% vs national
Where the money goes
One earner filing as a household, at 1 bedrooms.
- Taxes$1,339
- Rent$754
- Other living costs$1,716
- Left over$2,421
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $74,766
- Federal income tax
- −$8,063
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$5,720
- State income tax (IA)
- −$2,286
- Take-home pay
- $58,698
- Effective tax rate
- 21.5%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $754
- Groceries
- $347
- Getting around
- $457
- Healthcare
- $391
- Utilities and internet
- $217
- Everything else
- $304
- Total spending
- $2,470
Left over each month
$6,231 gross, minus $1,339 in tax and $2,470 in living costs.
$2,421
What living here is like
- Weather
- 207 sunny days, 82°F in July, 16°F January nights
- Getting around
- Plan on a car per adult
- Average commute
- 19 minutes each way
- Size
- 125k people
- Buying instead
- Median home $231,600 — roughly $1,661/mo with 20% down, tax and upkeep
- Taxes
- Iowa income tax. Sales tax 6.9%, property tax 1.44%.
How it scores against what you said matters
- Money left over
- 61
- Sun and mild weather
- 57
- Access to the outdoors
- 81
- City life and culture
- 41
- A short commute
- 95
County by county
The Ames, IA metro spans 2 counties, and rent and home prices vary a lot between them. These are whole-stock medians for people already living there, so rents run below the asking rents used elsewhere on this page.
| County | People | Median rent | 2-bed rent | Home value | Income | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Story CountyIA | 99k79% | $1,019 | $1,004 | $243,600 | $69,006 | 18 min |
| Boone CountyIA | 27k21% | $826 | $845 | $191,200 | $79,741 | 22 min |
Census ACS 2023 5-year estimates by county; county membership from the 2023 CBSA delineation file. Rents are median gross rent for occupied units (not asking rent); “—” means the Census suppressed or top-coded the cell.
Chicago vs Ames, line by line
Same job, same household, both tax codes applied.
Open the comparison →Everything else about a move
Paycheck leftover is the start. These pages cover who actually moved, housing, the rest of the month, daily life and kids — still using your household in the URL.
Who moved
Which metros people actually left and arrived from, according to IRS tax returns.
Rent vs buy
Asking rent, the median home, property tax, and months to a down payment.
Monthly costs
Groceries, getting around, utilities, healthcare and childcare at your household size.
Daily life
Homicide and firearm death rates, heat, cars and commute.
Kids
Public-school enrollment, pupil–teacher ratio, bedrooms and childcare.
Getting there
What the move itself costs from where you live now, and how to find a mover you can trust.
Also worth a look
- Midland, TX$3,475/mo
No state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,516 and 263 sunny days; commutes average 22 minutes.
- Seattle, WA$3,406/mo
No state income tax and high wages, offset by home prices and 150 sunny days.
- Bismarck, ND$3,347/mo
State income tax topping out at 2.5%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,298 and 196 sunny days; commutes average 18 minutes.
- Austin, TX$3,176/mo
No income tax, but property taxes are among the steepest anywhere.