Cost of Living in Ames, IA
Updated:
| Cost of living | One person | Family of 4 |
|---|---|---|
| 💰 Total with rent | ||
| 🛋️ Without rent | ||
| 🏨 Rent & Utilities | ||
| 🍽️ Food | ||
| 🚐 Transport | ||
| 💳 Monthly salary after tax | ||
| 😀 Quality of life | ||
| 🏙️ Population | ||
The average cost of living in Ames is $1596, which is in the top 33% of the most expensive cities in the world, ranked 3084th out of 9294 in our global list, 2094th out of 2202 in the United States, and 18th out of 24 in Iowa State.
The median after-tax salary is $3748, which is enough to cover living expenses for 2.3 months. Ranked 4426th (TOP 48%) in the list of best places to live in the world and 1652nd best city to live in the United States, and 11th most liveable city in Iowa State. With an estimated population of 66.4K, Ames is the 620th largest city in the United States.
| ✈️ Closest airport | 56 km | Des Moines International Airport |
|---|---|---|
| 😷 Air quality | Excellent | 6.9 µg/m³ |
| 🎓 Best university rank | 89 | Iowa State University |
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Prices in Ames
Prices for goods and services in Ames are partly crowdsourced by our visitors, just like yourself. Please consider telling us about your city.
| 🍱 Lunch Menu | |
|---|---|
| 🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2 | |
| 🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's | |
| 🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz | |
| ☕ Cappuccino | |
| 🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz |
| 🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in city Center, 40 m2 or 430 ft2 | |
|---|---|
| 🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2 | |
| 🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in city Center, 80 m2 or 860 ft2 | |
| 🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2 | |
| 🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc. | |
| 🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc. | |
| 🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited | |
| 🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years | |
| 🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2 | |
| 🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2 |
| 🚌 Local transport ticket | |
|---|---|
| 🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport | |
| 🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi | |
| ⛽ Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal |
| 🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt | |
|---|---|
| 🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb | |
| 🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🥚 Eggs, x12 | |
| 🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | |
| 🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt | |
| 🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz | |
| 🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle | |
| 🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz | |
| 🚬 Cigarette pack | |
| 💊 Cold medicince, 1 week | |
| 🧴 Hair Shampoo | |
| 🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls | |
| 👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube |
| 🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month | |
|---|---|
| 🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person | |
| 👩⚕️ Doctor's visit | |
| 💇 Haircut, simple | |
| 👖 Brand Jeans | |
| 👟 Brand Sneakers | |
| 👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month | |
| 🏫 International Primary School, 1 year |
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