| Index | Malcom | Iowa | National |
| Cost of living | 86 | 90 | 100 |
| Goods & Services | 97 | 96 | 100 |
| Groceries | 97 | 97 | 100 |
| Health care | 101 | 99 | 100 |
| Housing | 56 | 73 | 100 |
| Transportation | 100 | 98 | 100 |
| Utilities | 103 | 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 | $64,306 | $5,359 | $1,500 | $1,929 |
| Renters | $25,865 | $2,155 | $603 | $776 |
| State | General Sales Tax | With Max Surtax |
| Iowa | 6% | 7% |
| State | Income Tax (Low) | Income Tax (High) |
| Iowa | 4.4% | 6% |
| Item | Malcom | National avg. | Difference |
| Haircut | $25.80 | $24.26 | 6.3% |
| Beauty Salon | $35.19 | $45.56 | 22.8% |
| Toothpaste | $3.83 | $3.70 | 3.5% |
| Shampoo | $1.35 | $1.28 | 5.2% |
| Movie | $11.73 | $12.13 | 3.3% |
| Bowling | $17.11 | $18.00 | 4.9% |
| Item | Malcom | National avg. | Difference |
| Ground Beef | $5.61 | $5.84 | 3.9% |
| Fried Chicken | $1.37 | $1.57 | 13.1% |
| Milk | $4.85 | $4.67 | 3.7% |
| Potatoes | $4.81 | $4.93 | 2.5% |
| Pizza | $11.32 | $12.09 | 6.3% |
| Beer | $9.97 | $10.41 | 4.2% |
| Item | Malcom | National avg. | Difference |
| Optometrist | $115.67 | $125.68 | 8.0% |
| Doctor | $158.97 | $135.78 | 17.1% |
| Dentist | $105.87 | $113.29 | 6.5% |
| Ibuprofen | $10.57 | $10.65 | 0.7% |
| Lipitor | $439.90 | $468.60 | 6.1% |
| Item | Malcom | National avg. | Difference |
| Home Price | $89,000.00 | $184,700.00 | 51.8% |
| Avg. Mortgage Payment | $1,718.48 | $2,346.69 | 26.8% |
| Apartment Rent | $713.00 | $949.00 | 24.9% |
| Item | Malcom | National avg. | Difference |
| Gasoline | $3.35 | $3.46 | 3.1% |
| Tire Balancing | $64.40 | $59.92 | 7.5% |
| Item | Malcom | National avg. | Difference |
| All Electricity | $205.48 | $193.99 | 5.9% |
| Phone | $187.56 | $192.25 | 2.4% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Chelsea, IA | 259 | 79 | 21.4% |
| Deep River, IA | 280 | 80 | 19.9% |
| Hartwick, IA | 131 | 82 | 18.1% |
| Gilman, IA | 543 | 83 | 17.0% |
| Barnes City, IA | 147 | 83 | 17.1% |
| Malcom, IA | 275 | 86 | 14.1% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Ambler, AK | 275 | 108 | 7.6% |
| Huslia, AK | 275 | 109 | 8.9% |
| Mount Olive CDP (Coosa County), AL | 275 | 79 | 20.7% |
| Oconee, GA | 275 | 90 | 10.4% |
| Kimballton, IA | 275 | 80 | 20.5% |
| Malcom, IA | 275 | 86 | 14.1% |
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