Is Columbia cheaper than Iowa City?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Columbia and Iowa City metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Columbia or Iowa City?

Columbia has the higher median household income — $80,142 versus $75,225 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 7% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Columbia or Iowa City?

A paycheck stretches further in Columbia. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $89,606 there versus $82,205 in Iowa City.

Which has cheaper rent, Columbia or Iowa City?

Rents are close — $1,115/mo in the Columbia metro versus $1,099/mo in Iowa City (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Columbia vs Iowa City

Metro-area medians — Columbia, MO Metro Area vs Iowa City, IA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Columbia comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Columbia and Iowa City cost about the same to live in, but Columbia households earn about 7% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Columbia.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Columbia, MO

$58,705

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$65,637

real value after local prices

Iowa City, IA

$58,464

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$63,888

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Columbia leaves you about $1,749/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Columbia

Iowa City

Livability (CityLedger)

74/100

70/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

89.4

91.5

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$89,606

$82,205

Median household income

$80,142

$75,225

Median rent

$1,115/mo

$1,099/mo

Median home value

$289,500

$315,200

Unemployment

3.1%

2.7%

Bachelor's degree or higher

49.4%

52%

Average commute

19.8 min

18.5 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

56°F

51°F

Choose Columbia for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Median home value

Full Columbia profile →

Choose Iowa City for

+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute

Full Iowa City profile →

Columbia vs Iowa City — frequently asked

Is Columbia cheaper than Iowa City?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Columbia and Iowa City metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Columbia or Iowa City?: Columbia has the higher median household income — $80,142 versus $75,225 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 7% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Columbia or Iowa City?: A paycheck stretches further in Columbia. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $89,606 there versus $82,205 in Iowa City.
Which has cheaper rent, Columbia or Iowa City?: Rents are close — $1,115/mo in the Columbia metro versus $1,099/mo in Iowa City (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).