| Index | West Branch | Iowa | National |
| Cost of living | 94 | 88 | 100 |
| Goods & Services | 95 | 94 | 100 |
| Groceries | 97 | 97 | 100 |
| Health care | 95 | 96 | 100 |
| Housing | 91 | 74 | 100 |
| Transportation | 105 | 99 | 100 |
| Utilities | 81 | 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 | $107,812 | $8,984 | $2,515 | $3,235 |
| Renters | $51,954 | $4,330 | $1,212 | $1,559 |
| 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 | $31.80 | $27.62 | 15.1% |
| Beauty Salon | $47.40 | $51.11 | 7.2% |
| Toothpaste | $4.05 | $4.09 | 1.0% |
| Shampoo | $1.60 | $1.54 | 3.8% |
| Movie | $11.58 | $12.88 | 10.1% |
| Yoga | $19.50 | $19.66 | 0.8% |
| Item | West Branch | National avg. | Difference |
| Ground Beef | $7.47 | $7.70 | 3.0% |
| Fried Chicken | $1.50 | $1.66 | 9.8% |
| Milk | $4.71 | $4.73 | 0.5% |
| Potatoes | $5.00 | $5.26 | 4.9% |
| Pizza | $11.89 | $12.76 | 6.8% |
| Beer | $10.25 | $10.55 | 2.8% |
| Item | West Branch | National avg. | Difference |
| Optometrist | $105.55 | $140.06 | 24.6% |
| Doctor | $188.29 | $153.82 | 22.4% |
| Dentist | $105.58 | $123.15 | 14.3% |
| Ibuprofen | $11.77 | $11.73 | 0.3% |
| Lipitor | $18.43 | $23.61 | 21.9% |
| Item | West Branch | National avg. | Difference |
| Home Price | $307,152.00 | $326,622.00 | 6.0% |
| Avg. Mortgage Payment | $2,011.25 | $2,480.25 | 18.9% |
| Apartment Rent | $1,209.00 | $1,444.00 | 16.3% |
| Item | West Branch | National avg. | Difference |
| Gasoline | $3.12 | $3.06 | 2.1% |
| Tire Balancing | $72.38 | $65.21 | 11.0% |
| Item | West Branch | National avg. | Difference |
| All Electricity | $148.28 | $220.12 | 32.6% |
| Phone | $201.97 | $195.71 | 3.2% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Nichols, IA | 387 | 82 | 18.0% |
| Rochester, IA | 100 | 85 | 15.1% |
| Tipton, IA | 3,276 | 87 | 12.9% |
| Atalissa, IA | 367 | 87 | 12.9% |
| West Liberty, IA | 3,829 | 89 | 11.1% |
| West Branch, IA | 2,414 | 94 | 6.3% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Fairfield Bay, AR | 2,414 | 83 | 16.9% |
| Mason City, IL | 2,414 | 83 | 16.7% |
| Stevenson, AL | 2,413 | 79 | 21.2% |
| Lamoni, IA | 2,412 | 80 | 19.9% |
| Grissom AFB, IN | 2,416 | 83 | 17.3% |
| West Branch, IA | 2,414 | 94 | 6.3% |
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