Grand Island, NE vs Waterloo, IA: cost of living compared
Price levels from BEA (2024); rent and home values from Zillow (September 2026).
The short answer
- Overall, living costs in Waterloo, IA and Grand Island, NE are within 1% of each other (BEA, 2024).
- To keep the same standard of living, $75,000 in Grand Island works out to about $75,300 in Waterloo, before taxes.
- Housing is 2.2% higher in Waterloo, goods 0.4% lower and other services 0.1% lower, which roughly cancel out.
- Typical asking rent is $1,023 a month in Waterloo and $1,340 in Grand Island, $3,804 a year less in Waterloo (Zillow, September 2026).
- A typical home is valued at about $198,000 in Waterloo and $255,000 in Grand Island.
- The gap has narrowed since 2019, when Waterloo was 3.2% more expensive than Grand Island.
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.
Overall prices are about the same in Grand Island and Waterloo
Price level by category, 2024. US average = 100.
- Grand Island, NE
- Waterloo, IA
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Grand Island, NE | Waterloo, IA | |
|---|---|---|
| All items | 86.7 | 87.1 |
| Goods | 94.1 | 93.7 |
| Housing (rents) | 61.7 | 63.1 |
| Utilities | 74.2 | 83.7 |
| Other services | 93.0 | 92.9 |
| Category | Grand Island | Waterloo | Waterloo vs Grand Island |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 86.7 | 87.1 | +0.5% |
| Goods | 94.1 | 93.7 | −0.4% |
| Housing (rents) | 61.7 | 63.1 | +2.2% |
| Utilities | 74.2 | 83.7 | +12.7% |
| Other services | 93.0 | 92.9 | −0.1% |
| Typical asking rent | $1,340 | $1,023 | −23.7% |
| Typical home value | $255,000 | $198,000 | −22.5% |
| Salary to match $75,000 in Grand Island | $75,000 | $75,300 | +0.5% |
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 Grand Island and Waterloo has narrowed since 2008: 8.6 points then, 0.4 now
Overall price level each year, 2008–2024. US average = 100.
- Grand Island, NE
- Waterloo, IA
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Grand Island, NE | Waterloo, IA | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 81.8 | 90.4 |
| 2009 | 82.3 | 90.9 |
| 2010 | 88.1 | 92.3 |
| 2011 | 89.2 | 90.4 |
| 2012 | 85.0 | 91.0 |
| 2013 | 86.9 | 92.4 |
| 2014 | 83.3 | 92.2 |
| 2015 | 87.3 | 90.4 |
| 2016 | 87.7 | 90.5 |
| 2017 | 83.2 | 90.2 |
| 2018 | 88.1 | 91.1 |
| 2019 | 90.0 | 92.8 |
| 2020 | 90.5 | 91.0 |
| 2021 | 89.1 | 89.1 |
| 2022 | 86.7 | 87.9 |
| 2023 | 87.1 | 88.0 |
| 2024 | 86.7 | 87.1 |
Goods
- Grand Island, NE
- Waterloo, IA
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Grand Island, NE | Waterloo, IA | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 78.2 | 93.9 |
| 2009 | 85.4 | 94.7 |
| 2010 | 93.8 | 96.0 |
| 2011 | 94.6 | 95.8 |
| 2012 | 95.3 | 96.8 |
| 2013 | 94.0 | 96.5 |
| 2014 | 95.1 | 97.8 |
| 2015 | 95.8 | 97.6 |
| 2016 | 94.2 | 96.7 |
| 2017 | 93.7 | 95.5 |
| 2018 | 94.6 | 95.8 |
| 2019 | 97.2 | 97.2 |
| 2020 | 96.0 | 95.5 |
| 2021 | 94.6 | 94.1 |
| 2022 | 93.9 | 93.3 |
| 2023 | 96.5 | 96.6 |
| 2024 | 94.1 | 93.7 |
Housing (rents)
- Grand Island, NE
- Waterloo, IA
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Grand Island, NE | Waterloo, IA | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 60.8 | 65.1 |
| 2009 | 51.2 | 68.4 |
| 2010 | 65.2 | 72.7 |
| 2011 | 73.0 | 69.6 |
| 2012 | 47.8 | 69.8 |
| 2013 | 59.2 | 76.9 |
| 2014 | 44.0 | 75.5 |
| 2015 | 67.6 | 69.8 |
| 2016 | 72.0 | 71.4 |
| 2017 | 50.9 | 73.0 |
| 2018 | 57.9 | 69.1 |
| 2019 | 63.4 | 72.8 |
| 2020 | 66.1 | 70.0 |
| 2021 | 61.4 | 65.2 |
| 2022 | 58.1 | 66.2 |
| 2023 | 60.9 | 62.2 |
| 2024 | 61.7 | 63.1 |
Utilities
- Grand Island, NE
- Waterloo, IA
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Grand Island, NE | Waterloo, IA | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 72.2 | 88.5 |
| 2009 | 73.7 | 89.3 |
| 2010 | 78.3 | 89.7 |
| 2011 | 74.6 | 88.7 |
| 2012 | 77.5 | 88.8 |
| 2013 | 79.6 | 88.7 |
| 2014 | 77.8 | 84.4 |
| 2015 | 79.7 | 83.4 |
| 2016 | 80.9 | 83.0 |
| 2017 | 80.9 | 88.9 |
| 2018 | 86.3 | 97.0 |
| 2019 | 84.8 | 96.4 |
| 2020 | 85.1 | 97.3 |
| 2021 | 85.5 | 99.3 |
| 2022 | 82.4 | 96.7 |
| 2023 | 76.9 | 87.0 |
| 2024 | 74.2 | 83.7 |
Other services
- Grand Island, NE
- Waterloo, IA
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Grand Island, NE | Waterloo, IA | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 93.4 | 98.2 |
| 2009 | 93.7 | 98.0 |
| 2010 | 93.3 | 97.6 |
| 2011 | 92.6 | 94.3 |
| 2012 | 94.6 | 95.4 |
| 2013 | 92.7 | 96.0 |
| 2014 | 92.7 | 95.5 |
| 2015 | 89.4 | 93.5 |
| 2016 | 88.6 | 94.3 |
| 2017 | 88.0 | 93.1 |
| 2018 | 96.5 | 96.2 |
| 2019 | 96.7 | 96.3 |
| 2020 | 96.7 | 96.2 |
| 2021 | 95.9 | 95.3 |
| 2022 | 92.5 | 92.0 |
| 2023 | 91.9 | 92.3 |
| 2024 | 93.0 | 92.9 |
Rent and home values
Typical asking rent: $1,023 in Waterloo vs $1,340 in Grand Island
Typical asking rent for a new lease, dollars per month. Quarterly.
- Grand Island, NE
- Waterloo, IA
- United States
Source: Zillow Observed Rent Index (typical asking rent, all homes, smoothed), through September 2026. Data Provided by Zillow Group.
Show the numbers
| Grand Island, NE | Waterloo, IA | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2015 | – | – | $1,145 |
| Jun 2015 | – | – | $1,170 |
| Sep 2015 | – | – | $1,181 |
| Dec 2015 | – | – | $1,182 |
| Mar 2016 | – | – | $1,195 |
| Jun 2016 | – | $695 | $1,219 |
| Sep 2016 | – | $709 | $1,225 |
| Dec 2016 | – | $698 | $1,222 |
| Mar 2017 | – | $718 | $1,245 |
| Jun 2017 | – | $720 | $1,270 |
| Sep 2017 | – | $730 | $1,276 |
| Dec 2017 | – | $725 | $1,275 |
| Mar 2018 | – | $730 | $1,296 |
| Jun 2018 | – | $738 | $1,320 |
| Sep 2018 | – | $742 | $1,327 |
| Dec 2018 | – | $754 | $1,329 |
| Mar 2019 | – | $743 | $1,349 |
| Jun 2019 | – | $757 | $1,376 |
| Sep 2019 | – | $757 | $1,383 |
| Dec 2019 | – | $772 | $1,381 |
| Mar 2020 | – | $768 | $1,402 |
| Jun 2020 | – | $771 | $1,406 |
| Sep 2020 | – | $774 | $1,410 |
| Dec 2020 | – | $781 | $1,407 |
| Mar 2021 | – | $797 | $1,443 |
| Jun 2021 | – | $814 | $1,512 |
| Sep 2021 | – | $812 | $1,590 |
| Dec 2021 | – | $848 | $1,622 |
| Mar 2022 | – | $849 | $1,661 |
| Jun 2022 | – | $847 | $1,721 |
| Sep 2022 | – | $871 | $1,748 |
| Dec 2022 | – | $870 | $1,735 |
| Mar 2023 | – | $882 | $1,757 |
| Jun 2023 | – | $899 | $1,785 |
| Sep 2023 | – | $916 | $1,797 |
| Dec 2023 | – | $919 | $1,786 |
| Mar 2024 | – | $934 | $1,807 |
| Jun 2024 | – | $958 | $1,837 |
| Sep 2024 | $1,257 | $955 | $1,845 |
| Dec 2024 | $1,268 | $966 | $1,836 |
| Mar 2025 | $1,333 | $974 | $1,860 |
| Jun 2025 | $1,329 | $983 | $1,880 |
| Sep 2025 | $1,317 | $983 | $1,881 |
| Dec 2025 | $1,339 | $988 | $1,873 |
| Mar 2026 | $1,342 | $1,001 | $1,894 |
| Jun 2026 | $1,335 | $1,019 | $1,921 |
| Sep 2026 | $1,340 | $1,023 | $1,932 |
Typical home value: $198,000 in Waterloo vs $255,000 in Grand Island
Typical home value, dollars. Quarterly.
- Grand Island, NE
- Waterloo, IA
- 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
| Grand Island, NE | Waterloo, IA | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2015 | $134K | $129K | $189K |
| Jun 2015 | $137K | $130K | $192K |
| Sep 2015 | $140K | $131K | $195K |
| Dec 2015 | $141K | $131K | $199K |
| Mar 2016 | $143K | $132K | $202K |
| Jun 2016 | $145K | $131K | $204K |
| Sep 2016 | $146K | $131K | $206K |
| Dec 2016 | $148K | $131K | $209K |
| Mar 2017 | $149K | $130K | $213K |
| Jun 2017 | $150K | $131K | $216K |
| Sep 2017 | $151K | $131K | $219K |
| Dec 2017 | $154K | $132K | $223K |
| Mar 2018 | $156K | $133K | $227K |
| Jun 2018 | $157K | $134K | $230K |
| Sep 2018 | $160K | $135K | $234K |
| Dec 2018 | $161K | $136K | $236K |
| Mar 2019 | $164K | $138K | $239K |
| Jun 2019 | $167K | $140K | $242K |
| Sep 2019 | $168K | $142K | $244K |
| Dec 2019 | $172K | $144K | $247K |
| Mar 2020 | $174K | $144K | $252K |
| Jun 2020 | $176K | $145K | $255K |
| Sep 2020 | $180K | $147K | $260K |
| Dec 2020 | $184K | $149K | $271K |
| Mar 2021 | $191K | $150K | $282K |
| Jun 2021 | $199K | $153K | $296K |
| Sep 2021 | $205K | $157K | $306K |
| Dec 2021 | $210K | $158K | $314K |
| Mar 2022 | $220K | $163K | $330K |
| Jun 2022 | $227K | $170K | $346K |
| Sep 2022 | $227K | $172K | $348K |
| Dec 2022 | $228K | $173K | $345K |
| Mar 2023 | $228K | $173K | $343K |
| Jun 2023 | $230K | $178K | $347K |
| Sep 2023 | $232K | $181K | $352K |
| Dec 2023 | $233K | $182K | $354K |
| Mar 2024 | $236K | $183K | $357K |
| Jun 2024 | $240K | $187K | $361K |
| Sep 2024 | $241K | $187K | $361K |
| Dec 2024 | $247K | $190K | $363K |
| Mar 2025 | $251K | $194K | $364K |
| Jun 2025 | $252K | $194K | $362K |
| Sep 2025 | $255K | $196K | $362K |
| Dec 2025 | $256K | $198K | $364K |
| Mar 2026 | $257K | $199K | $366K |
| Jun 2026 | $256K | $198K | $365K |
| Sep 2026 | $255K | $198K | $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.