What salary do you need to live in Cedar Rapids, IA?

Rent, home values and prices in Cedar Rapids

Census figures put the median gross rent in the Cedar Rapids, IA metro at $699 for a one-bedroom, $991 for a two-bedroom and $1,317 for a three-bedroom. Moving from one to two bedrooms adds $292 a month, and the third bedroom another $326.

The median value of owner-occupied homes in the metro is $211,500. That is only 2.7× the area's median household income of $78,080, a low ratio by national standards.

Price levels matter beyond rent. The Bureau of Economic Analysis measures Cedar Rapids's overall prices at 89.0 on a scale where the nation is 100, which makes a $100,000 salary feel like about $112,406 would elsewhere.

How much you need to earn in Cedar Rapids

The salary lines for a two-bedroom household land at $25,000 for Tight, $50,000 for Okay and $100,000 for Comfortable. The gap between the Okay and Comfortable lines alone is $50,000, which says how much extra income it takes to make housing feel roomy here rather than merely workable.

The Royal grade is within reach at $269,000 a year, where both rent and the median home price look small next to income.

Each figure is the lowest income, to the next $1,000, at which the calculator itself would show that grade for a two-bedroom in Cedar Rapids.

Scores at $50K, $75K, $100K and $150K in Cedar Rapids

On $75,000, a one-bedroom scores 62 and a three-bedroom 53, both Okay; the extra bedrooms cost points but not a grade.

Read down the two-bedroom column and the first Comfortable row is $100,000, consistent with the $100,000 line above.

Where Cedar Rapids falls nationally

Out of 387 metros, Cedar Rapids has the 312th highest price parity and the 301st highest two-bedroom rent, which puts it in the bottom quarter on overall prices and in the bottom quarter on rent.

Its nearest neighbors on the rent list are Ames, IA ($992) and Columbia, MO ($991).

Comparing Cedar Rapids with Iowa

How Cedar Rapids stacks up against its state: $991 for a two-bedroom against Iowa's $989, $211,500 for the median home against $208,000, and a price level of 89.0 against 87.8.

The Iowa figure for the Comfortable line, using state medians, is $96,000 against $100,000 for Cedar Rapids.

If Cedar Rapids is on your list, Ames, IA, Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL, and Dubuque, IA are the most similar Iowa metros by two-bedroom rent and price level; the table shows where each turns Comfortable.

The median Cedar Rapids household

What about a typical local household? Census puts median household income here at $78,080, which grades Okay (58) for a two-bedroom at the median rent. The Comfortable line is 28% above what the median household makes. For Iowa as a whole, the median household income of $75,059 scores 58 against statewide rents. Keep in mind a household median often combines two incomes.

Treat every number here as a pre-tax, public-data estimate rather than financial advice.