Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aberdeen and Ames, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ames, IA: $2,142 a month against $2,264 in Aberdeen, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Aberdeen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

111

Cost of Living Index in Aberdeen
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Aberdeen Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Ames, IA
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Ames, IA Living Index

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Aberdeen

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,264

/mo nomad

Ames, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aberdeen and in Ames, IA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Aberdeen and in Ames, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,264 per month in Aberdeen vs $2,142 in Ames, IA, rent included.

Aberdeen $2,264
Ames, IA $2,142

A couple spends around $3,528 per month in Aberdeen vs $3,242 in Ames, IA, rent included.

Aberdeen $3,528
Ames, IA $3,242

A family of three spends $4,792 per month in Aberdeen vs $4,342 in Ames, IA, rent included.

Aberdeen $4,792
Ames, IA $4,342

Aberdeen costs about 6% more than Ames, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Aberdeen and Ames, IA sit above the global median – Aberdeen by 68%, Ames, IA by 59%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.95 £14.96

$18.13 $18.13

10.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.0 £70.5

$52.0 $52.0

80.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.04

$12.18 $12.18

-12.07%

Cappuccino

$4.59 £3.44

$4.87 $4.87

-5.75%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 £2.03

$2.60 $2.60

4.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 £1.59

$2.25 $2.25

-5.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.15 £5.37

$4.05 $4.05

76.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.79 £5.84

$6.81 $6.81

14.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 £1.12

$0.89 $0.89

67.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 £1.28

$3.55 $3.55

-51.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 £1.47

$3.26 $3.26

-39.88%

Eggs

$4.36 £3.27

$3.34 $3.34

30.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.81 £6.61

$10.08 $10.08

-12.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.10 £9.08

$13.62 $13.62

-11.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.59 £12.44

$19.05 $19.05

-12.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 £2.14

$5.88 $5.88

-51.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.82 $1.82

-24.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$6.69 $6.69

-58.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 £2.75

$5.22 $5.22

-29.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 £1.28

$4.54 $4.54

-62.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 £1.13

$4.07 $4.07

-63.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$2.32 $2.32

-46.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.22

$2.44 $2.44

-33.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.97 £16.48

$13.03 $13.03

68.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.40

$16.11 $16.11

-30.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 £1.98

$2.87 $2.87

-8.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 £2.30

$4.98 $4.98

-38.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 £2.02

$0.99 $0.99

172.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$120 £90.1

$35.57 $35.57

237.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 £2.91

$5.09 $5.09

-23.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.45 £1.84

$1.69 $1.69

44.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.17 £18.13

$24.13 $24.13

0.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$0.96 $0.96

121.88%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$37.5K £28.1K

$24.7K $24.7K

51.43%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.2K £30.2K

$25.1K $25.1K

60.30%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$400 £300

$176 $176

126.99%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$28.11 £21.09

$54.3 $54.3

-48.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.10 £31.58

$71.2 $71.2

-40.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.5 £40.15

$69.0 $69.0

-22.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.06 £16.55

$19.74 $19.74

11.75%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 £8.43

$15.97 $15.97

-29.68%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,770 £1,328

$1,370 $1,370

29.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K £17.4K

$36.1K $36.1K

-35.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.3 £72.3

$58.4 $58.4

64.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.95 £36.73

$44.68 $44.68

9.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.7

$90.1 $90.1

13.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 £84.1

$105 $105

7.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$833 £625

$1,005 $1,005

-17.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 £579

$822 $822

-6.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,573 £1,180

$1,860 $1,860

-15.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 £1,208

$1,505 $1,505

7.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,281 £1,712

$2,432 $2,432

-6.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,390 £2,544

$2,185 $2,185

55.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,625 £2,719

$3,597 $3,597

0.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

6.41

-20.28%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Aberdeen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ames, IA: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Aberdeen

$771 34.1%

Ames, IA

$822 38.4% 6.6% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aberdeen

$470 20.8%

Ames, IA

$302 14.1% 35.8% $169

Groceries & Markets

Aberdeen

$320 14.1%

Ames, IA

$436 20.4% 36.3% $116

Eating Out

Aberdeen

$317 14%

Ames, IA

$293 13.7% 7.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Aberdeen

$162 7.2%

Ames, IA

$134 6.3% 17.2% $28

Getting Around

Aberdeen

$147 6.5%

Ames, IA

$53 2.5% 63.9% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Aberdeen

$76 3.4%

Ames, IA

$101 4.7% 32.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $833 in Aberdeen versus $1,005 in Ames, IA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1% higher in Aberdeen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $94.0 in Aberdeen versus $52.0 in Ames, IA. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Aberdeen vs $436 in Ames, IA – so Aberdeen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Aberdeen

🇺🇸 Ames, IA

🕒 Local time

15:23 3:23 PM

09:23 9:23 AM

6 h behind Aberdeen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

229,060

66,427

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Aberdeen Ames, IA 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Aberdeen
Ames, IA

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Aberdeen vs Ames, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aberdeen costs about 6% more than Ames, IA, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,396 per month in Aberdeen and $3,213 in Ames, IA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ames, IA, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,264 in Aberdeen and $2,142 in Ames, IA. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 238% less in Ames, IA. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ames, IA, where all-in costs run around $2,142, than in Aberdeen at $2,264. In Ames, IA it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aberdeen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ames, IA costs $2,142 versus $2,264 in Aberdeen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ames, IA. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Aberdeen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.