Norwalk, Iowa Cost Of Living

A+

8%

Overall NAT. AVG.

10%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

9%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2022 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; 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	Norwalk	Iowa	National
Cost of living	92	89	100
Goods & Services	90	94	100
Groceries	99	98	100
Health care	92	100	100
Housing	91	73	100
Transportation	93	98	100
Utilities	86	95	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Norwalk is 3% higher than the Iowa average
The cost of living in Norwalk is 8% lower than the national average
Norwalk housing is 9% lower than the national average
Iowa general sales tax is 18% higher than the national average
Iowa state income tax is 85% lower than the national average

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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	$100,279	$8,357	$2,340	$3,009
Renters	$44,095	$3,675	$1,029	$1,323

The percentage of monthly income spent on housing related expenses can help predict the affordability of housing in Norwalk, 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 Norwalk, homeowners have a median income of $100,279. Using that number, a maximum of $2,340 per month should be allocated to housing expenses. For those who are renting instead of owning, the median income is $44,095, which means there is a maximum of $1,029 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	0.33%	8.53%

Goods & Services

Item	Norwalk	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$18.13	$20.27	10.5%
Beauty Salon	$32.12	$40.39	20.5%
Toothpaste	$1.77	$2.36	24.9%
Shampoo	$1.16	$1.08	8.2%
Movie	$9.50	$10.99	13.6%
Bowling	$18.53	$15.49	19.6%

Groceries

Item	Norwalk	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.49	$4.30	18.8%
Fried Chicken	$1.57	$1.40	12.1%
Milk	$2.34	$2.20	6.1%
Potatoes	$2.65	$3.22	17.6%
Pizza	$10.15	$10.74	5.5%
Beer	$9.18	$9.60	4.3%

Health Care

Item	Norwalk	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$115.02	$109.73	4.8%
Doctor	$115.47	$118.34	2.4%
Dentist	$80.69	$100.94	20.1%
Ibuprofen	$8.79	$9.93	11.5%
Lipitor	$478.90	$469.53	2.0%

Housing

Item	Norwalk	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$169,900.00	$184,700.00	8.0%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$993.05	$1,229.62	19.2%
Apartment Rent	$840.00	$949.00	11.5%

Transportation

Item	Norwalk	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.38	$2.71	12.1%
Tire Balancing	$52.56	$51.86	1.4%

Utilities

Item	Norwalk	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$129.70	$170.84	24.1%
Phone	$184.26	$187.18	1.6%

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.
Spring Hill, IA	60	79	21.0%
Bevington, IA	54	80	20.5%
Patterson, IA	175	80	19.5%
Martensdale, IA	452	82	18.4%
Milo, IA	928	84	16.2%
Norwalk, IA	9,944	92	8.5%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Fairfield, IA	9,942	84	16.4%
Jefferson, GA	9,946	97	3.3%
Brownsville, TN	9,938	79	21.3%
Queens, NS	9,932	n/a
Elkhorn, WI	9,931	96	3.8%
Norwalk, IA	9,944	92	8.5%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2022 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.