Cost of Living: Waterloo, IA vs New York, NY

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,184/mo in Waterloo, IA versus $4,116/mo in New York, NY. In the model, rent is about 13.06% of gross in Waterloo, IA versus 25.92% in New York, NY, so Waterloo, IA tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Waterloo, IA
$4,184/mo
Income level: above
Take-home in New York, NY
$4,116/mo
Income level: below
Rent share (1BR) in Waterloo, IA
13.06%
COLI tier: mid-range
Rent share (1BR) in New York, NY
25.92%
COLI tier: very high-cost

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Waterloo, IA and New York, NY.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Waterloo, IA
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Waterloo, IA
  • Lower home prices: Waterloo, IA
  • Higher median household income: New York, NY

Cost of Living Index

Waterloo, IA: 100 (U.S. = 100) · New York, NY: 168.2 (U.S. = 100)

Waterloo, IA has a lower cost-of-living index than New York, NY, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

Waterloo, IA: $852/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · New York, NY: $1,690/mo

Median rent in New York, NY is $838/mo higher than in Waterloo, IA.

Median Home Price

Waterloo, IA: $150,200 · New York, NY: $751,700

Median home price in New York, NY is $601,500 higher than in Waterloo, IA.

Median Household Income

Waterloo, IA: $56,344 · New York, NY: $79,713

New York, NY has a higher median household income than Waterloo, IA by $23,369.

Waterloo, IA overview · New York, NY overview · Popular comparisons