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2024 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Ottumwa, IA vs Ames, IA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Ames or is it cheaper to live in Ottumwa?
- Ames is 23.2% more expensive than Ottumwa.

Which city has more affordable housing, Ames or Ottumwa?
- Ames housing costs are 256.9% more expensive than Ottumwa housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Ottumwa or is Health Care more affordable in Ames.
- Health related expenses are 1.3% more in Ames.
 Ottumwa, IAAmes, IAUnited States
 Overall71.187.6100
 Food & Groceries91.797.3100
 Health119.3120.8100
 Housing24.888.5100
 Median Home Cost$97,700$239,100$338,100
 Utilities10,080.0%9,860.0%10,000.0%
 Transportation62.867.2100
 Miscellaneous85.3114.1100

100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Ottumwa    5 Reviews

Over 11 years ago

Ottumwa has a seemingly high rate of theft-related crimes as well as drug use which I'm sure correlates to the incidences of assault. For a community of 20-30,000, the  More

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Over 15 years ago

ottumwa, Iowa has no diverse culture. It is not very open especially when it comes to branching out to new ideas of others culture...The idea of culture here is the pro  More

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Over 16 years ago

Pros: 1. Extremely low cost of living and housing 2. Affordable place to live Cons: 1. High crime rate 2. Very poor school system 3. Economically depressed 4.  More

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Reviews for Ames    12 Reviews

Over 12 years ago

Hello, I am in San Jose Ca, but am seriously thinking of moving somewhere much slower for a better quality of living. I've just turned 59, so I'm kinda preparing for  More

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Over 12 years ago

Like every other city Ames has both good and bad points. The good points are: low cost of living, very friendly people, lots of outdoor activities and quite a few events  More

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Ames enjoys a high quality of life at a very affordable cost, substantially lower than many other communities. The presence of Iowa State University, a large (28,000  More

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ZIPS IN OTTUMWA, IOWA
52501
ZIPS IN AMES, IOWA
50010 50014 50012

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