Cedar Rapids vs Evansville
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Cedar Rapids edges it, 61 to 60, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Iowa's second city of oat mills, aerospace and a rebuilt riverfront
Full Cedar Rapids profile →Plan a trip to Cedar Rapids →Low-cost river city on the Ohio at Indiana's southern tip
Full Evansville profile →Plan a trip to Evansville →Where they differ
- Internet. Evansville leads on internet, 87 to 82, against Cedar Rapids. Measured download: 84 Mbps vs 115.3 Mbps.
- Air quality. Cedar Rapids leads on air quality, 95 to 90, against Evansville. PM2.5: 7.1 µg/m³ vs 9.4 µg/m³.
Where they are close. Within five points on getting there & around, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Cedar Rapids if you want
- to spend about $77 less a month
Pick Evansville if you want
- faster internet (115.3 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Cedar Rapids | Evansville |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 26 ✓ | 25 |
| Safety | 51 | 51 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 |
| Internet | 82 | 87 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 8 ✓ | 6 |
| Climate | 42 | 42 |
| Air quality | 95 ✓ | 90 |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 |
Cost
| Metric | Cedar Rapids | Evansville |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,669 ✓ | $2,746 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Cedar Rapids | Evansville |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 5.76 | 5.76 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.3 | 60.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 |
| Life expectancy | 78.5 yrs | 78.5 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Cedar Rapids | Evansville |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 84 Mbps | 115.3 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 16.5 Mbps | 19 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Cedar Rapids | Evansville |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | home country | home country |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Cedar Rapids | Evansville |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 18 ✓ | 8 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Cedar Rapids | Evansville |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 5 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 7.1 µg/m³ ✓ | 9.4 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Cedar Rapids or Evansville?
- Cedar Rapids is cheaper: about $2,669 per month versus $2,746 for one person.
- Is Cedar Rapids or Evansville safer?
- Cedar Rapids and Evansville score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Cedar Rapids or Evansville?
- Evansville: a measured median of 115.3 Mbps versus 84 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Cedar Rapids vs Tulsa
- Cedar Rapids vs South Bend
- Evansville vs Peoria
- Evansville vs Lexington
- All comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (all items); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.