| Index | Chester | Iowa | National |
| Cost of living | 81 | 88 | 100 |
| Goods & Services | 100 | 94 | 100 |
| Groceries | 98 | 97 | 100 |
| Health care | 98 | 96 | 100 |
| Housing | 37 | 74 | 100 |
| Transportation | 103 | 99 | 100 |
| Utilities | 96 | 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 | $56,982 | $4,749 | $1,329 | $1,710 |
| Renters | $46,024 | $3,835 | $1,074 | $1,381 |
| State | General Sales Tax | With Max Surtax |
| Iowa | 6% | 7% |
| State | Income Tax (Low) | Income Tax (High) |
| Iowa | 4.4% | 6% |
| Item | Chester | National avg. | Difference |
| Haircut | $39.89 | $27.62 | 44.4% |
| Beauty Salon | $42.57 | $51.11 | 16.7% |
| Toothpaste | $4.02 | $4.09 | 1.8% |
| Shampoo | $1.65 | $1.54 | 7.0% |
| Movie | $12.60 | $12.88 | 2.2% |
| Yoga | $11.52 | $19.66 | 41.4% |
| Item | Chester | National avg. | Difference |
| Ground Beef | $7.56 | $7.70 | 1.9% |
| Fried Chicken | $1.54 | $1.66 | 7.4% |
| Milk | $4.63 | $4.73 | 2.2% |
| Potatoes | $5.29 | $5.26 | 0.6% |
| Pizza | $12.68 | $12.76 | 0.6% |
| Beer | $10.27 | $10.55 | 2.6% |
| Item | Chester | National avg. | Difference |
| Optometrist | $93.66 | $140.06 | 33.1% |
| Doctor | $161.35 | $153.82 | 4.9% |
| Dentist | $114.49 | $123.15 | 7.0% |
| Ibuprofen | $11.85 | $11.73 | 1.0% |
| Lipitor | $23.84 | $23.61 | 1.0% |
| Item | Chester | National avg. | Difference |
| Home Price | $112,972.00 | $326,622.00 | 65.4% |
| Avg. Mortgage Payment | $2,029.26 | $2,480.25 | 18.2% |
| Apartment Rent | $639.00 | $1,444.00 | 55.7% |
| Item | Chester | National avg. | Difference |
| Gasoline | $2.79 | $3.06 | 8.8% |
| Tire Balancing | $86.05 | $65.21 | 32.0% |
| Item | Chester | National avg. | Difference |
| All Electricity | $209.44 | $220.12 | 4.9% |
| Phone | $191.64 | $195.71 | 2.1% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| McIntire, IA | 83 | 82 | 18.3% |
| Taopi, MN | 62 | 83 | 17.2% |
| Riceville, IA | 891 | 84 | 15.9% |
| Lime Springs, IA | 648 | 84 | 15.5% |
| Le Roy, MN | 1,040 | 86 | 14.3% |
| Chester, IA | 156 | 81 | 19.1% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| North Johns, AL | 156 | 82 | 18.5% |
| Powhatan, AR | 156 | 81 | 19.2% |
| North San Juan, CA | 156 | 131 | 30.5% |
| Garden City, IA | 156 | 76 | 23.8% |
| Bone Gap, IL | 156 | 81 | 19.0% |
| Chester, IA | 156 | 81 | 19.1% |
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