Is Cedar Rapids cheaper than St. Cloud?

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

Which has higher household income, Cedar Rapids or St. Cloud?

Household incomes are similar — $75,295 in the Cedar Rapids metro versus $75,688 in St. Cloud (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Does a paycheck go further in Cedar Rapids or St. Cloud?

It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($84,636 versus $86,370).

Which has cheaper rent, Cedar Rapids or St. Cloud?

Cedar Rapids has cheaper rent — a median of $933/mo versus $1,039/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Cedar Rapids vs St. Cloud

Metro-area medians — Cedar Rapids, IA Metro Area vs St. Cloud, MN Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Cedar Rapids comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Cedar Rapids and St. Cloud are closely matched on both cost of living and household income. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

Their widest everyday difference: Cedar Rapids has the tighter job market — 2.8% unemployment versus 3.6%.

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

Cedar Rapids, IA

$58,464

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$65,717

real value after local prices

St. Cloud, MN

$57,702

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$65,846

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, St. Cloud leaves you about $130/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

Cedar Rapids

St. Cloud

Livability (CityLedger)

61/100

56/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

89.0

87.6

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$84,636

$86,370

Median household income

$75,295

$75,688

Median rent

$933/mo

$1,039/mo

Median home value

$226,700

$289,200

Unemployment

2.8%

3.6%

Bachelor's degree or higher

31.1%

28.5%

Average commute

21.2 min

22 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

48°F

43°F

Choose Cedar Rapids for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Median rent
+ Median home value
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute

Full Cedar Rapids profile →

Choose St. Cloud for

+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full St. Cloud profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Cedar Rapids and St. Cloud on cost, income, size, and education.

Cedar Rapids vs Duluth→Cedar Rapids vs Topeka→Cedar Rapids vs Davenport→St. Cloud vs Bowling Green→St. Cloud vs Topeka→St. Cloud vs Hattiesburg→

Cedar Rapids vs St. Cloud — frequently asked

Is Cedar Rapids cheaper than St. Cloud?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Cedar Rapids and St. Cloud metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Cedar Rapids or St. Cloud?: Household incomes are similar — $75,295 in the Cedar Rapids metro versus $75,688 in St. Cloud (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).
Does a paycheck go further in Cedar Rapids or St. Cloud?: It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($84,636 versus $86,370).
Which has cheaper rent, Cedar Rapids or St. Cloud?: Cedar Rapids has cheaper rent — a median of $933/mo versus $1,039/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).