| Index | Carson | Iowa | National |
| Cost of living | 89 | 88 | 100 |
| Goods & Services | 94 | 94 | 100 |
| Groceries | 100 | 97 | 100 |
| Health care | 96 | 96 | 100 |
| Housing | 77 | 74 | 100 |
| Transportation | 90 | 99 | 100 |
| Utilities | 85 | 88 | 100 |
Why stop at city-to-city? With Local Insights, you can compare neighborhoods, zip codes, or even exact addresses. Access 300+ hyperlocal data points—from schools and crime to housing and amenities—to see which area is the better fit.
| Cost of living index | |
| Goods & Services index | |
| Groceries index | |
| Health care index | |
| Housing index | |
| Transportation index | |
| Utilities index |
| Median Income | Per Year | Per Month | Max Budget (28% DTI) | Max Budget (36% DTI) |
| Owners | $96,237 | $8,020 | $2,245 | $2,887 |
| Renters | $61,253 | $5,104 | $1,429 | $1,838 |
| State | General Sales Tax | With Max Surtax |
| Iowa | 6% | 7% |
| State | Income Tax (Low) | Income Tax (High) |
| Iowa | 4.4% | 6% |
| Item | Carson | National avg. | Difference |
| Haircut | $24.39 | $27.62 | 11.7% |
| Beauty Salon | $33.61 | $51.11 | 34.2% |
| Toothpaste | $4.04 | $4.09 | 1.3% |
| Shampoo | $1.39 | $1.54 | 9.9% |
| Movie | $12.50 | $12.88 | 2.9% |
| Yoga | $18.11 | $19.66 | 7.9% |
| Item | Carson | National avg. | Difference |
| Ground Beef | $7.45 | $7.70 | 3.3% |
| Fried Chicken | $1.53 | $1.66 | 8.0% |
| Milk | $4.86 | $4.73 | 2.7% |
| Potatoes | $5.61 | $5.26 | 6.7% |
| Pizza | $13.39 | $12.76 | 4.9% |
| Beer | $10.19 | $10.55 | 3.4% |
| Item | Carson | National avg. | Difference |
| Optometrist | $107.79 | $140.06 | 23.0% |
| Doctor | $173.13 | $153.82 | 12.6% |
| Dentist | $97.00 | $123.15 | 21.2% |
| Ibuprofen | $11.95 | $11.73 | 1.9% |
| Lipitor | $24.43 | $23.61 | 3.5% |
| Item | Carson | National avg. | Difference |
| Home Price | $258,044.00 | $326,622.00 | 21.0% |
| Avg. Mortgage Payment | $1,826.84 | $2,480.25 | 26.3% |
| Apartment Rent | $1,066.00 | $1,444.00 | 26.2% |
| Item | Carson | National avg. | Difference |
| Gasoline | $2.78 | $3.06 | 9.2% |
| Tire Balancing | $57.34 | $65.21 | 12.1% |
| Item | Carson | National avg. | Difference |
| All Electricity | $162.78 | $220.12 | 26.0% |
| Phone | $201.56 | $195.71 | 3.0% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Hastings, IA | 157 | 76 | 23.9% |
| Elliott, IA | 557 | 79 | 21.0% |
| Hancock, IA | 271 | 79 | 20.8% |
| Griswold, IA | 1,211 | 81 | 19.1% |
| Henderson, IA | 218 | 82 | 18.3% |
| Carson, IA | 759 | 89 | 11.5% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Kirkwood, IL | 759 | 80 | 19.9% |
| Ooltewah, TN | 759 | 98 | 2.2% |
| Riverview, VA | 759 | 82 | 17.9% |
| Glasgow, WV | 759 | 82 | 18.5% |
| Rivière-Verte, NB | 759 | n/a | |
| Carson, IA | 759 | 89 | 11.5% |
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