2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Ames, IA vs Carbondale, IL

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Carbondale or is it cheaper to live in Ames?
- Carbondale is 10.5% less expensive than Ames.

Which city has more affordable housing, Carbondale or Ames?
- Carbondale housing costs are 50.7% less expensive than Ames housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Ames or is Health Care more affordable in Carbondale.
- Health related expenses are 6.9% more in Carbondale.
 Ames, IACarbondale, ILUnited States
 Overall  Unlock78.4100
 Food & Groceries97.3  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock129.1100
 Housing88.5  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$116,200$338,100
 Utilities99  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock70.2100
 Miscellaneous114.1  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Ames    12 Reviews

Over 13 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 13 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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Reviews for Carbondale    7 Reviews

I've lived in C'dale for over 30 years. I got an excellent education here - Giant City School was great, though fairly insular and not very diverse (among its drawbacks  More

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Over 17 years ago

I like Carbondale. It is relaxing and an easy way to go about getting a college degree. It has its ups and downs, mainly with the people in the town not recognizing the  More

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All of the comments are negative here and seem to me to be misleading. The idea that you have to have a lot of money in Carbondale is ridiculous. The price of cultural  More

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