| Index | West Branch | Iowa | National |
| Cost of living | 96 | 90 | 100 |
| Goods & Services | 101 | 96 | 100 |
| Groceries | 97 | 97 | 100 |
| Health care | 94 | 99 | 100 |
| Housing | 91 | 73 | 100 |
| Transportation | 104 | 98 | 100 |
| Utilities | 86 | 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 | $73,665 | $6,139 | $1,719 | $2,210 |
| Renters | $35,074 | $2,923 | $818 | $1,052 |
| State | General Sales Tax | With Max Surtax |
| Iowa | 6% | 7% |
| State | Income Tax (Low) | Income Tax (High) |
| Iowa | 4.4% | 6% |
| Item | West Branch | National avg. | Difference |
| Haircut | $27.83 | $24.26 | 14.7% |
| Beauty Salon | $46.89 | $45.56 | 2.9% |
| Toothpaste | $3.82 | $3.70 | 3.1% |
| Shampoo | $1.30 | $1.28 | 1.5% |
| Movie | $11.85 | $12.13 | 2.4% |
| Bowling | $18.50 | $18.00 | 2.8% |
| Item | West Branch | National avg. | Difference |
| Ground Beef | $5.67 | $5.84 | 2.9% |
| Fried Chicken | $1.35 | $1.57 | 14.2% |
| Milk | $4.63 | $4.67 | 0.8% |
| Potatoes | $4.73 | $4.93 | 4.1% |
| Pizza | $11.49 | $12.09 | 4.9% |
| Beer | $9.86 | $10.41 | 5.3% |
| Item | West Branch | National avg. | Difference |
| Optometrist | $134.20 | $125.68 | 6.8% |
| Doctor | $140.02 | $135.78 | 3.1% |
| Dentist | $93.33 | $113.29 | 17.6% |
| Ibuprofen | $10.72 | $10.65 | 0.6% |
| Lipitor | $454.61 | $468.60 | 3.0% |
| Item | West Branch | National avg. | Difference |
| Home Price | $172,500.00 | $184,700.00 | 6.6% |
| Avg. Mortgage Payment | $1,900.08 | $2,346.69 | 19.0% |
| Apartment Rent | $809.00 | $949.00 | 14.8% |
| Item | West Branch | National avg. | Difference |
| Gasoline | $3.37 | $3.46 | 2.5% |
| Tire Balancing | $72.71 | $59.92 | 21.4% |
| Item | West Branch | National avg. | Difference |
| All Electricity | $153.70 | $193.99 | 20.8% |
| Phone | $186.06 | $192.25 | 3.2% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Nichols, IA | 376 | 84 | 16.1% |
| Rochester, IA | 97 | 87 | 13.3% |
| Atalissa, IA | 353 | 89 | 10.8% |
| Tipton, IA | 3,192 | 89 | 10.5% |
| West Liberty, IA | 3,750 | 91 | 8.7% |
| West Branch, IA | 2,357 | 96 | 3.8% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Anchorage, KY | 2,357 | 183 | 83.0% |
| Fall City, WA | 2,357 | 156 | 56.0% |
| Kenilworth, IL | 2,356 | 240 | 139.7% |
| White Hall, IL | 2,356 | 79 | 21.5% |
| Milford, ME | 2,356 | 96 | 3.6% |
| West Branch, IA | 2,357 | 96 | 3.8% |