Ames, IA vs Grand Island, NE: cost of living compared
Price levels from BEA (2024); rent and home values from Zillow (September 2026).
The short answer
- Overall, Grand Island, NE is 2.4% less expensive than Ames, IA (BEA, 2024).
- To keep the same standard of living, $75,000 in Ames works out to about $73,200 in Grand Island, before taxes.
- Most of the difference is housing, which costs 10.7% less in Grand Island. Goods are 0.4% higher and other services 0.1% higher.
- Typical asking rent is $1,340 a month in Grand Island and $1,162 in Ames, $2,136 a year more in Grand Island (Zillow, September 2026).
- A typical home is valued at about $255,000 in Grand Island and $277,000 in Ames.
- The gap has narrowed since 2019, when Grand Island was 6.2% less expensive than Ames.
derived Calculated from BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) and Zillow data. Based on an average household's spending; taxes not included. How we calculate.
Category by category
Both cities against the US average (100). The gap in each row is what matters for a move.
Housing drives the gap: 10.7% lower in Grand Island than in Ames
Price level by category, 2024. US average = 100.
- Ames, IA
- Grand Island, NE
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Ames, IA | Grand Island, NE | |
|---|---|---|
| All items | 88.8 | 86.7 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 94.1 |
| Housing (rents) | 69.2 | 61.7 |
| Utilities | 83.0 | 74.2 |
| Other services | 92.9 | 93.0 |
| Category | Ames | Grand Island | Grand Island vs Ames |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 88.8 | 86.7 | −2.4% |
| Goods | 93.7 | 94.1 | +0.4% |
| Housing (rents) | 69.2 | 61.7 | −10.7% |
| Utilities | 83.0 | 74.2 | −10.6% |
| Other services | 92.9 | 93.0 | +0.1% |
| Typical asking rent | $1,162 | $1,340 | +15.3% |
| Typical home value | $277,000 | $255,000 | −8.0% |
| Salary to match $75,000 in Ames | $75,000 | $73,200 | −2.4% |
Index values: BEA, 2024, US = 100. Rent and home values: Data Provided by Zillow Group, September 2026.
How the gap has changed since 2008
The price gap between Ames and Grand Island has widened since 2008: 0.6 points then, 2.2 now
Overall price level each year, 2008–2024. US average = 100.
- Ames, IA
- Grand Island, NE
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Ames, IA | Grand Island, NE | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 82.4 | 81.8 |
| 2009 | 90.0 | 82.3 |
| 2010 | 92.9 | 88.1 |
| 2011 | 91.7 | 89.2 |
| 2012 | 92.3 | 85.0 |
| 2013 | 94.4 | 86.9 |
| 2014 | 92.9 | 83.3 |
| 2015 | 90.0 | 87.3 |
| 2016 | 88.7 | 87.7 |
| 2017 | 89.7 | 83.2 |
| 2018 | 93.9 | 88.1 |
| 2019 | 95.9 | 90.0 |
| 2020 | 93.1 | 90.5 |
| 2021 | 91.5 | 89.1 |
| 2022 | 88.4 | 86.7 |
| 2023 | 91.5 | 87.1 |
| 2024 | 88.8 | 86.7 |
Goods
- Ames, IA
- Grand Island, NE
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Ames, IA | Grand Island, NE | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 77.0 | 78.2 |
| 2009 | 85.3 | 85.4 |
| 2010 | 94.3 | 93.8 |
| 2011 | 94.7 | 94.6 |
| 2012 | 95.4 | 95.3 |
| 2013 | 94.6 | 94.0 |
| 2014 | 95.1 | 95.1 |
| 2015 | 95.5 | 95.8 |
| 2016 | 94.1 | 94.2 |
| 2017 | 93.6 | 93.7 |
| 2018 | 95.8 | 94.6 |
| 2019 | 97.2 | 97.2 |
| 2020 | 95.5 | 96.0 |
| 2021 | 94.1 | 94.6 |
| 2022 | 93.3 | 93.9 |
| 2023 | 96.6 | 96.5 |
| 2024 | 93.7 | 94.1 |
Housing (rents)
- Ames, IA
- Grand Island, NE
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Ames, IA | Grand Island, NE | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 67.2 | 60.8 |
| 2009 | 90.6 | 51.2 |
| 2010 | 87.0 | 65.2 |
| 2011 | 90.3 | 73.0 |
| 2012 | 86.4 | 47.8 |
| 2013 | 104.0 | 59.2 |
| 2014 | 92.9 | 44.0 |
| 2015 | 81.8 | 67.6 |
| 2016 | 80.2 | 72.0 |
| 2017 | 89.1 | 50.9 |
| 2018 | 83.7 | 57.9 |
| 2019 | 92.3 | 63.4 |
| 2020 | 80.8 | 66.1 |
| 2021 | 72.4 | 61.4 |
| 2022 | 65.8 | 58.1 |
| 2023 | 79.8 | 60.9 |
| 2024 | 69.2 | 61.7 |
Utilities
- Ames, IA
- Grand Island, NE
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Ames, IA | Grand Island, NE | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 79.7 | 72.2 |
| 2009 | 80.2 | 73.7 |
| 2010 | 86.8 | 78.3 |
| 2011 | 78.2 | 74.6 |
| 2012 | 79.7 | 77.5 |
| 2013 | 81.0 | 79.6 |
| 2014 | 81.3 | 77.8 |
| 2015 | 81.2 | 79.7 |
| 2016 | 83.5 | 80.9 |
| 2017 | 85.5 | 80.9 |
| 2018 | 96.3 | 86.3 |
| 2019 | 97.3 | 84.8 |
| 2020 | 97.0 | 85.1 |
| 2021 | 98.7 | 85.5 |
| 2022 | 98.1 | 82.4 |
| 2023 | 86.2 | 76.9 |
| 2024 | 83.0 | 74.2 |
Other services
- Ames, IA
- Grand Island, NE
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Ames, IA | Grand Island, NE | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 93.6 | 93.4 |
| 2009 | 94.7 | 93.7 |
| 2010 | 94.2 | 93.3 |
| 2011 | 90.7 | 92.6 |
| 2012 | 93.0 | 94.6 |
| 2013 | 92.2 | 92.7 |
| 2014 | 92.2 | 92.7 |
| 2015 | 89.2 | 89.4 |
| 2016 | 88.2 | 88.6 |
| 2017 | 87.5 | 88.0 |
| 2018 | 96.2 | 96.5 |
| 2019 | 96.3 | 96.7 |
| 2020 | 96.2 | 96.7 |
| 2021 | 95.3 | 95.9 |
| 2022 | 92.0 | 92.5 |
| 2023 | 92.3 | 91.9 |
| 2024 | 92.9 | 93.0 |
Rent and home values
Typical asking rent: $1,340 in Grand Island vs $1,162 in Ames
Typical asking rent for a new lease, dollars per month. Quarterly.
- Ames, IA
- Grand Island, NE
- United States
Source: Zillow Observed Rent Index (typical asking rent, all homes, smoothed), through September 2026. Data Provided by Zillow Group.
Show the numbers
| Ames, IA | Grand Island, NE | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2015 | – | – | $1,145 |
| Jun 2015 | – | – | $1,170 |
| Sep 2015 | – | – | $1,181 |
| Dec 2015 | – | – | $1,182 |
| Mar 2016 | – | – | $1,195 |
| Jun 2016 | – | – | $1,219 |
| Sep 2016 | – | – | $1,225 |
| Dec 2016 | – | – | $1,222 |
| Mar 2017 | – | – | $1,245 |
| Jun 2017 | – | – | $1,270 |
| Sep 2017 | – | – | $1,276 |
| Dec 2017 | $921 | – | $1,275 |
| Mar 2018 | $891 | – | $1,296 |
| Jun 2018 | $895 | – | $1,320 |
| Sep 2018 | $860 | – | $1,327 |
| Dec 2018 | $879 | – | $1,329 |
| Mar 2019 | $906 | – | $1,349 |
| Jun 2019 | $905 | – | $1,376 |
| Sep 2019 | $883 | – | $1,383 |
| Dec 2019 | $911 | – | $1,381 |
| Mar 2020 | $923 | – | $1,402 |
| Jun 2020 | $902 | – | $1,406 |
| Sep 2020 | $909 | – | $1,410 |
| Dec 2020 | $957 | – | $1,407 |
| Mar 2021 | $944 | – | $1,443 |
| Jun 2021 | $939 | – | $1,512 |
| Sep 2021 | $951 | – | $1,590 |
| Dec 2021 | $977 | – | $1,622 |
| Mar 2022 | $985 | – | $1,661 |
| Jun 2022 | $990 | – | $1,721 |
| Sep 2022 | $981 | – | $1,748 |
| Dec 2022 | $1,025 | – | $1,735 |
| Mar 2023 | $1,032 | – | $1,757 |
| Jun 2023 | $1,014 | – | $1,785 |
| Sep 2023 | $1,027 | – | $1,797 |
| Dec 2023 | $1,071 | – | $1,786 |
| Mar 2024 | $1,074 | – | $1,807 |
| Jun 2024 | $1,071 | – | $1,837 |
| Sep 2024 | $1,094 | $1,257 | $1,845 |
| Dec 2024 | $1,109 | $1,268 | $1,836 |
| Mar 2025 | $1,114 | $1,333 | $1,860 |
| Jun 2025 | $1,116 | $1,329 | $1,880 |
| Sep 2025 | $1,131 | $1,317 | $1,881 |
| Dec 2025 | $1,149 | $1,339 | $1,873 |
| Mar 2026 | $1,141 | $1,342 | $1,894 |
| Jun 2026 | $1,145 | $1,335 | $1,921 |
| Sep 2026 | $1,162 | $1,340 | $1,932 |
Typical home value: $255,000 in Grand Island vs $277,000 in Ames
Typical home value, dollars. Quarterly.
- Ames, IA
- Grand Island, NE
- United States
Source: Zillow Home Value Index (typical home value, middle tier, smoothed, seasonally adjusted), through September 2026. Data Provided by Zillow Group.
Show the numbers
| Ames, IA | Grand Island, NE | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2015 | $169K | $134K | $189K |
| Jun 2015 | $174K | $137K | $192K |
| Sep 2015 | $176K | $140K | $195K |
| Dec 2015 | $178K | $141K | $199K |
| Mar 2016 | $179K | $143K | $202K |
| Jun 2016 | $180K | $145K | $204K |
| Sep 2016 | $182K | $146K | $206K |
| Dec 2016 | $184K | $148K | $209K |
| Mar 2017 | $185K | $149K | $213K |
| Jun 2017 | $189K | $150K | $216K |
| Sep 2017 | $191K | $151K | $219K |
| Dec 2017 | $192K | $154K | $223K |
| Mar 2018 | $194K | $156K | $227K |
| Jun 2018 | $195K | $157K | $230K |
| Sep 2018 | $196K | $160K | $234K |
| Dec 2018 | $197K | $161K | $236K |
| Mar 2019 | $197K | $164K | $239K |
| Jun 2019 | $199K | $167K | $242K |
| Sep 2019 | $199K | $168K | $244K |
| Dec 2019 | $201K | $172K | $247K |
| Mar 2020 | $202K | $174K | $252K |
| Jun 2020 | $206K | $176K | $255K |
| Sep 2020 | $208K | $180K | $260K |
| Dec 2020 | $212K | $184K | $271K |
| Mar 2021 | $215K | $191K | $282K |
| Jun 2021 | $222K | $199K | $296K |
| Sep 2021 | $227K | $205K | $306K |
| Dec 2021 | $232K | $210K | $314K |
| Mar 2022 | $239K | $220K | $330K |
| Jun 2022 | $247K | $227K | $346K |
| Sep 2022 | $249K | $227K | $348K |
| Dec 2022 | $252K | $228K | $345K |
| Mar 2023 | $252K | $228K | $343K |
| Jun 2023 | $257K | $230K | $347K |
| Sep 2023 | $259K | $232K | $352K |
| Dec 2023 | $257K | $233K | $354K |
| Mar 2024 | $255K | $236K | $357K |
| Jun 2024 | $259K | $240K | $361K |
| Sep 2024 | $260K | $241K | $361K |
| Dec 2024 | $263K | $247K | $363K |
| Mar 2025 | $266K | $251K | $364K |
| Jun 2025 | $267K | $252K | $362K |
| Sep 2025 | $270K | $255K | $362K |
| Dec 2025 | $272K | $256K | $364K |
| Mar 2026 | $275K | $257K | $366K |
| Jun 2026 | $276K | $256K | $365K |
| Sep 2026 | $277K | $255K | $366K |
More about each city
What this comparison leaves out
- Taxes. State and local income, sales and property taxes can change the result a lot, especially between states.
- Neighborhoods. These are metro-wide averages; a city center and its outer suburbs can differ by more than two metros do.
- Your own spending mix. The default uses an average household. Use the housing slider above if rent is a bigger share of your budget.
- Timing. BEA price levels are for 2024; Zillow figures are monthly and newer.