2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Columbia, SC vs Cedar Falls, IA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Cedar Falls or is it cheaper to live in Columbia?
- Cedar Falls is 13.4% less expensive than Columbia.

Which city has more affordable housing, Cedar Falls or Columbia?
- Cedar Falls housing costs are 15.4% more expensive than Columbia housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Columbia or is Health Care more affordable in Cedar Falls.
- Health related expenses are 9.1% less in Cedar Falls.
 Columbia, SCCedar Falls, IAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock75.7100
 Food & Groceries96.0  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock104.8100
 Housing58.4  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$226,000$338,100
 Utilities109  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock61.2100
 Miscellaneous92.9  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Columbia    50 Reviews

Over 2 years ago

I love living in Columbia! I recently graduated from USC and plan to stay. I read the reviews posted here and it shows that like many cities, your experience will depend  More

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Loved living in Columbia, SC prior to my job transfer. It's the perfect size - plenty to do, but still a laid back place. People are extremely friendly, there are  More

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Columbia is such a unique and underrated place. It has a lot of character and history, and good nature trails. Everything feels accessible (by car) and you can get from  More

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Reviews for Cedar Falls    7 Reviews

Over 8 years ago

I lived in Cedar Falls while attending the University of Northern Iowa. It's a great college town. Main street is nice and there are plenty of restaurants to choose  More

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Over 12 years ago

We've lived in Cedar Falls since moving here from the great chicago land area in 2006. The school system in Cedar Falls and in Iowa in general if VERY strong.   More

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When I was preparing to moved to Cedar Falls, IA I was repeatedly met with the remark "IOWA!, what's there? corn?" But apart from the bitter winters, tornadoes, and  More

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