Sioux City vs Ames leftover
Moving to Ames costs you $158 a month
$2,402/mo leftover in Ames vs $2,560 in Sioux City after tax and rent ($158 less). −$1,896 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Sioux City leftover
$2,560
a month after tax and rent
Ames leftover
$2,402
−$158 vs Sioux City
Compare Sioux City to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Sioux City.
Monthly gap
Sioux City → Ames
$158
less / month in Sioux City
$2,402 in Ames · $2,560 in Sioux City · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 33 households moved Sioux City → Ames (avg AGI $31,061). The whole move →
−$158 / mo
| Per month | Sioux City | Ames | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,083 | $6,211 | −$873 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,624 | $1,332 | −$292 |
| Take-home pay | $5,459 | $4,878 | −$581 |
| Rent | $1,089 | $760 | −$329 |
| Getting around | $547 | $457 | −$90 |
| Groceries | $348 | $347 | −$1 |
| Healthcare | $392 | $391 | −$1 |
| Utilities | $218 | $217 | −$1 |
| Everything else | $305 | $304 | −$1 |
| Left over | $2,560 | $2,402 | −$158 |
To break even in Ames, you'd need to earn
$77,500
Household gross, versus $85,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Sioux City does now.
The tax difference alone
+$398
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 22.9% in Sioux City, 21.5% in Ames.
More about Ames
Sioux City, IA in full
A flat 3.8% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,296 and 222 sunny days; commutes average 17 minutes.
Ames, IA in full
A flat 3.8% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $905 and 207 sunny days; commutes average 19 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Ames on Ames wages.
Ames → Sioux City →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Ames than Sioux City?
A one-bedroom is about $1,089 in Sioux City versus $760 in Ames. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $158 a month lower in Ames. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Ames have state income tax?
Ames is in Iowa, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Sioux City to Ames?
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 Sioux City and Ames 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.