Bismarck vs Cedar Rapids leftover
Moving to Cedar Rapids costs you $198 a month
$3,137/mo leftover in Cedar Rapids vs $3,335 in Bismarck after tax and rent ($198 less). −$2,376 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Bismarck leftover
$3,335
a month after tax and rent
Cedar Rapids leftover
$3,137
−$198 vs Bismarck
Compare Bismarck to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Bismarck.
Monthly gap
Bismarck → Cedar Rapids
$198
less / month in Bismarck
$3,137 in Cedar Rapids · $3,335 in Bismarck · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
−$198 / mo
| Per month | Bismarck | Cedar Rapids | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,917 | $7,574 | −$343 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,700 | $1,788 | +$88 |
| Take-home pay | $6,216 | $5,785 | −$431 |
| Rent | $1,084 | $904 | −$180 |
| Getting around | $534 | $485 | −$49 |
| Groceries | $348 | $347 | −$1 |
| Healthcare | $392 | $391 | −$1 |
| Utilities | $218 | $217 | −$1 |
| Everything else | $305 | $304 | −$1 |
| Left over | $3,335 | $3,137 | −$198 |
To break even in Cedar Rapids, you'd need to earn
$94,500
Household gross, versus $95,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Bismarck does now.
The tax difference alone
−$2,276
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 21.5% in Bismarck, 23.6% in Cedar Rapids.
More about Cedar Rapids
Bismarck, ND in full
State income tax topping out at 2.5%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,290 and 196 sunny days; commutes average 18 minutes.
Cedar Rapids, IA in full
A flat 3.8% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,076 and 202 sunny days; commutes average 20 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Cedar Rapids on Cedar Rapids wages.
Cedar Rapids → Bismarck →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Cedar Rapids than Bismarck?
A one-bedroom is about $1,084 in Bismarck versus $904 in Cedar Rapids. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $198 a month lower in Cedar Rapids. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Cedar Rapids have state income tax?
Cedar Rapids is in Iowa, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Bismarck to Cedar Rapids?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Iowa tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Bismarck and Cedar Rapids moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.