Cost Of Living in Chariton, IA

Get 300+ Local Insights for Any Address in Chariton, IA

Get Access to 300+ Local Data Points

A+

19%

Overall NAT. AVG.

5%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

49%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Chariton	Iowa	National
Cost of living	81	90	100
Goods & Services	95	96	100
Groceries	99	97	100
Health care	94	99	100
Housing	51	73	100
Transportation	91	98	100
Utilities	87	96	100

Does this Area Fit Your Budget?

Know the community before you call it home
Compare multiple areas side by side
Access over 300 data points for any address

GET REPORT →

Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Chariton is 9% lower than the Iowa average
The cost of living in Chariton is 19% lower than the national average
Chariton housing is 49% lower than the national average
Iowa general sales tax is 18% higher than the national average
Iowa state income tax is 69% higher than the national average

Most Affordable Places to Live in and Around Chariton

See all the best places to live around Chariton

Compare Chariton, IA Cost of Living

Compare Neighborhoods & Addresses

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.

UNLOCK FULL COMPARISON →

Write a review to give others more information about this area.

See all Chariton poll results

The best places in Iowa

Here are the best places to live in Iowa

These are the largest cities in Iowa

Safest Cities In The US

See the best places to live in Chariton

Salary Calculator

This is how much you would need to earn in

Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$59,728	$4,977	$1,394	$1,792
Renters	$21,783	$1,815	$508	$654

The percentage of monthly income spent on housing related expenses can help predict the affordability of housing in Chariton, IA, as well as what the overall cost of living might be. Generally, a good rule to follow is that the debt-to-income (DTI) level you want to maintain is 28 percent or less of your income on your rent or mortgage payments and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses and debts. In Chariton, homeowners have a median income of $59,728. Using that number, a maximum of $1,394 per month should be allocated to housing expenses. For those who are renting instead of owning, the median income is $21,783, which means there is a maximum of $508 to be spent on the costs of renting a home or apartment.

Iowa Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Iowa	6%	7%

Iowa Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Iowa	4.4%	6%

Goods & Services

Item	Chariton	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$20.63	$24.26	15.0%
Beauty Salon	$41.00	$45.56	10.0%
Toothpaste	$3.69	$3.70	0.3%
Shampoo	$1.35	$1.28	5.6%
Movie	$11.17	$12.13	7.9%
Bowling	$20.87	$18.00	15.9%

Groceries

Item	Chariton	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$6.36	$5.84	8.9%
Fried Chicken	$1.38	$1.57	12.6%
Milk	$4.82	$4.67	3.2%
Potatoes	$4.81	$4.93	2.6%
Pizza	$11.84	$12.09	2.0%
Beer	$9.82	$10.41	5.7%

Health Care

Item	Chariton	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$125.17	$125.68	0.4%
Doctor	$129.05	$135.78	5.0%
Dentist	$96.60	$113.29	14.7%
Ibuprofen	$10.88	$10.65	2.1%
Lipitor	$495.45	$468.60	5.7%

Housing

Item	Chariton	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$81,000.00	$184,700.00	56.1%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,877.36	$2,346.69	20.0%
Apartment Rent	$657.00	$949.00	30.8%

Transportation

Item	Chariton	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.19	$3.46	7.8%
Tire Balancing	$52.49	$59.92	12.4%

Utilities

Item	Chariton	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$154.71	$193.99	20.3%
Phone	$186.87	$192.25	2.8%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Le Roy, IA	1	94	6.1%
Millerton, IA	125	94	6.1%
Derby, IA	113	73	26.8%
Williamson, IA	184	74	25.6%
Woodburn, IA	119	76	24.1%
Chariton, IA	4,127	81	18.8%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
West Milwaukee, WI	4,128	94	5.7%
Butler, MO	4,125	82	18.2%
Sharpsville, PA	4,125	87	12.6%
Justin, TX	4,125	118	18.0%
Madawaska Valley, ON	4,125	n/a
Chariton, IA	4,127	81	18.8%