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CityLedger

Cedar Rapids vs Utica

Metro-area medians — Cedar Rapids, IA Metro Area vs Utica-Rome, NY Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Cedar Rapids comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Cedar Rapids is both cheaper to live in (about 4% less) and higher-earning (about 5% more) than Utica. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Cedar Rapids.

Their widest everyday difference: Utica has cleaner air on a typical day — a median AQI of 27 versus 44.

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.

Cedar Rapids, IA
$58,464
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$65,717
real value after local prices
Utica, NY
$57,794
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$62,359
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Cedar Rapids leaves you about $3,357/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
Utica
Livability (CityLedger)
61/100
49/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
89.0
92.7
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$84,636
$77,239
Median household income
$75,295
$71,584
Median rent
$933/mo
$888/mo
Median home value
$226,700
$198,600
Unemployment
2.8%
4%
Bachelor's degree or higher
31.1%
28.1%
Average commute
21.2 min
21 min
Air quality (median AQI)
44
27
Avg temperature
48°F
47°F

Choose Cedar Rapids for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
Full Cedar Rapids profile →

Choose Utica for

  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Utica profile →

More comparisons

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

Cedar Rapids vs Duluth→Cedar Rapids vs Topeka→Cedar Rapids vs Davenport→Utica vs Binghamton→Utica vs Evansville→Utica vs Erie→

Cedar Rapids vs Utica — frequently asked

Is Cedar Rapids cheaper than Utica?
Cedar Rapids is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 4% below Utica's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Cedar Rapids or Utica?
Cedar Rapids has the higher median household income — $75,295 versus $71,584 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 5% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Cedar Rapids or Utica?
A paycheck stretches further in Cedar Rapids. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $84,636 there versus $77,239 in Utica.
Which has cheaper rent, Cedar Rapids or Utica?
Utica has cheaper rent — a median of $888/mo versus $933/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).