2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Ann Arbor, MI vs Ames, IA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Ames or is it cheaper to live in Ann Arbor?
- Ames is 17.0% less expensive than Ann Arbor.

Which city has more affordable housing, Ames or Ann Arbor?
- Ames housing costs are 38.3% less expensive than Ann Arbor housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Ann Arbor or is Health Care more affordable in Ames.
- Health related expenses are 49.3% more in Ames.
 Ann Arbor, MIAmes, IAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock87.6100
 Food & Groceries102.6  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock120.8100
 Housing143.4  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$239,100$338,100
 Utilities99  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock67.2100
 Miscellaneous130.8  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Ann Arbor    49 Reviews

Over 8 years ago

Highly educated city. traffic and parking is bad. university culture is nice, not sure about elsewhere. no good pizza! if you're looking for food, I recommend "a taste  More

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Uh, compared to my other favorite college towns this one lacks flavor. Safer and kinda pretty, but not the greenest place, it's fine. Good restaurants, music, art,  More

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Over 10 years ago

Ann Arbor bus service (AATA) is quite good. The Detroit Metro Airport is only a 20 min. drive away and is also quite good. The traffic in Ann Arbor is usually mild  More

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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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