Moving from Boston to Cedar Rapids
You'd keep $1,237 more a month in Cedar Rapids
+$14,844 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
Boston leftover
$1,880
a month after tax and rent
Cedar Rapids leftover
$3,117
+$1,237 vs Boston
| Per month | Boston | Cedar Rapids | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $9,042 | $7,576 | −$1,465 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,416 | $1,789 | −$627 |
| Take-home pay | $6,626 | $5,787 | −$839 |
| Rent | $2,619 | $926 | −$1,693 |
| Getting around | $445 | $485 | +$40 |
| Groceries | $464 | $347 | −$117 |
| Healthcare | $522 | $391 | −$131 |
| Utilities | $290 | $217 | −$73 |
| Everything else | $406 | $304 | −$102 |
| Left over | $1,880 | $3,117 | +$1,237 |
To break even in Cedar Rapids, you'd need to earn
$68,500
Household gross, versus $108,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Boston does now.
The tax difference alone
+$2,305
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 26.7% in Boston, 23.6% in Cedar Rapids.
More about Cedar Rapids
Boston, MA in full
Great pay in medicine and research, brutal winters, tight housing stock.
Cedar Rapids, IA in full
A flat 3.8% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,102 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 → Boston →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Cedar Rapids than Boston?
A one-bedroom is about $2,619 in Boston versus $926 in Cedar Rapids. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $1,237 a month higher 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 Boston 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.
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.