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

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Ames or is it cheaper to live in Lansing?
- Ames is 4.8% more expensive than Lansing.

Which city has more affordable housing, Ames or Lansing?
- Ames housing costs are 105.8% more expensive than Lansing housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Lansing or is Health Care more affordable in Ames.
- Health related expenses are 37.4% more in Ames.
 Lansing, MIAmes, IAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock87.6100
 Food & Groceries91.1  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock120.8100
 Housing43.0  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$239,100$338,100
 Utilities98  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock67.2100
 Miscellaneous108.1  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Lansing    28 Reviews

I am in my fifth house in the greater Lansing area since relocating here in 1997 from the tri-city area (Midland/Bay City/Saginaw). Pros: people are friendlier here-  More

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I first moved to Lansing in the early 2000s for grad school @ MSU, went away and returned after several years. I must say, the area has improved VERY significantly  More

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This is a really nice place to live and people here are friendly there is a lot to do and a wide variety of different people and belief systems if you know where to look  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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