2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Bloomington, IN vs Ames, IA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Ames or is it cheaper to live in Bloomington?
- Ames is 1.4% less expensive than Bloomington.

Which city has more affordable housing, Ames or Bloomington?
- Ames housing costs are 0.6% more expensive than Bloomington housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Bloomington or is Health Care more affordable in Ames.
- Health related expenses are 26.0% more in Ames.
 Bloomington, INAmes, IAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock87.6100
 Food & Groceries97.0  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock120.8100
 Housing88.0  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$239,100$338,100
 Utilities97  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock67.2100
 Miscellaneous106.5  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Bloomington    25 Reviews

I have lived here for almost 23 years. Wonderful, cosmopolitan, safe, cultural, liberal, all-inclusive town, with plenty of arts, shopping, sports events and activities,  More

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Over 5 years ago

The city government of Bloomington is very famous for its corruption. The police of this city are famous for their inactivity and lack of professionalism. The judges  More

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Over 6 years ago

Terrible. There is nothing good about Bloomington, IN. Don’t live there. As for Catalent, there is one of those in my home town Woodstock, IL. It’s a pharmaceutical  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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