| Index | Dow City | Iowa | National |
| Cost of living | 82 | 90 | 100 |
| Goods & Services | 97 | 96 | 100 |
| Groceries | 98 | 97 | 100 |
| Health care | 88 | 99 | 100 |
| Housing | 48 | 73 | 100 |
| Transportation | 99 | 98 | 100 |
| Utilities | 96 | 96 | 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 | $68,068 | $5,672 | $1,588 | $2,042 |
| Renters | $25,652 | $2,138 | $599 | $770 |
| State | General Sales Tax | With Max Surtax |
| Iowa | 6% | 7% |
| State | Income Tax (Low) | Income Tax (High) |
| Iowa | 4.4% | 6% |
| Item | Dow City | National avg. | Difference |
| Haircut | $23.69 | $24.26 | 2.4% |
| Beauty Salon | $32.50 | $45.56 | 28.7% |
| Toothpaste | $3.71 | $3.70 | 0.3% |
| Shampoo | $1.23 | $1.28 | 3.7% |
| Movie | $12.12 | $12.13 | 0.1% |
| Bowling | $18.36 | $18.00 | 2.0% |
| Item | Dow City | National avg. | Difference |
| Ground Beef | $6.11 | $5.84 | 4.6% |
| Fried Chicken | $1.40 | $1.57 | 11.2% |
| Milk | $4.67 | $4.67 | 0.1% |
| Potatoes | $4.50 | $4.93 | 8.9% |
| Pizza | $11.19 | $12.09 | 7.4% |
| Beer | $9.76 | $10.41 | 6.3% |
| Item | Dow City | National avg. | Difference |
| Optometrist | $123.10 | $125.68 | 2.1% |
| Doctor | $135.27 | $135.78 | 0.4% |
| Dentist | $90.11 | $113.29 | 20.5% |
| Ibuprofen | $10.62 | $10.65 | 0.3% |
| Lipitor | $357.80 | $468.60 | 23.6% |
| Item | Dow City | National avg. | Difference |
| Home Price | $80,300.00 | $184,700.00 | 56.5% |
| Avg. Mortgage Payment | $1,869.86 | $2,346.69 | 20.3% |
| Apartment Rent | $571.00 | $949.00 | 39.8% |
| Item | Dow City | National avg. | Difference |
| Gasoline | $3.22 | $3.46 | 7.1% |
| Tire Balancing | $68.12 | $59.92 | 13.7% |
| Item | Dow City | National avg. | Difference |
| All Electricity | $174.82 | $193.99 | 9.9% |
| Phone | $200.78 | $192.25 | 4.4% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Ricketts, IA | 92 | 73 | 27.0% |
| Arion, IA | 106 | 73 | 26.7% |
| Buck Grove, IA | 35 | 76 | 24.3% |
| Soldier, IA | 199 | 77 | 23.1% |
| Ute, IA | 317 | 80 | 19.6% |
| Dow City, IA | 440 | 82 | 17.9% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Perdido Beach, AL | 440 | 92 | 8.5% |
| Repton, AL | 440 | 82 | 18.3% |
| Maynard, AR | 440 | 79 | 21.5% |
| Cannondale, CT | 440 | 112 | 12.4% |
| Harrison, GA | 440 | 79 | 21.1% |
| Dow City, IA | 440 | 82 | 17.9% |
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