Moving from Ames to Cedar Rapids
Ames to Cedar Rapids: $735 more leftover
$3,136/mo leftover in Cedar Rapids vs $2,401 in Ames after tax and rent ($735 more). +$8,820 a year — not a moving-company quote.
Ames leftover
$2,401
a month after tax and rent
Cedar Rapids leftover
$3,136
+$735 vs Ames
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
Leftover is not a cost-of-living index. Leftover vs a COL index
Who already made this move
In 2022-2023, 72 households moved Ames → Cedar Rapids (about 104 people, average AGI $40,444). 72 households went the other way.
Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration. Not a moving company; not a recommendation.
| Per month | Ames | Cedar Rapids |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home | $4,877 | $5,784 |
| Rent | $760 | $904 |
| All other costs | $1,716 | $1,744 |
| Left over | $2,401 | $3,136 |
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 Ames 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.
Full line-by-line comparison →
What the move itself costs
About 127 road miles, 1 bedroom. Typical ranges, not quotes.
- Full-service mover
- $1,650–$3,100
- Container or pod
- $1,100–$2,100
- Rent a truck
- $400–$750
Other moves from Ames
Dig into Cedar Rapids
Paycheck
Take-home pay after tax and rent, and what's left at the end of the month.
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
Typical cost to get here, then leftover after tax and rent — not a moving-company directory.
Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Cedar Rapids than Ames?
A one-bedroom is about $760 in Ames versus $904 in Cedar Rapids. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $735 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.
Did people actually move from Ames to Cedar Rapids?
When IRS county-to-county data covers this pair, the page lists how many households made the Ames → Cedar Rapids move and their average AGI. Leftover after tax and rent is shown for the same household on both sides.