Southwest Area

Cedar Rapids, IA

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Southwest Area - Cedar Rapids, IA Area Guide

Split by I-380 and sitting just southwest of the Cedar River, the Southwest area of Cedar Rapids attracts residents with its under-three-mile proximity to downtown and easy access to major roadways. Area apartments provide opportunities to live in exciting urban spaces, along the river or overlooking the neighborhood's green spaces. Jones Memorial Park on Wilson Avenue SW provides numerous recreational opportunities for locals, including a top-notch golf course, a swimming pool, a soccer field, a disc golf course, and tennis courts along with walking paths, picnic pavilions, and playgrounds. Residents of the Southwest Area don't have to venture into the city proper to find unique dining experiences. Los Compadres on 6th Street SW provides authentic Mexican fare, while Pei's Mandarin on the same stretch proffers Japanese, Korean, and Chinese cuisine. Cel-Red Supper Club on 16th Ave SW draws in crowds with classic American food. Drop Inn Resale, a thrift store on J Street SW, specializes in selling new-to-you merchandise.

Rent Trends

As of May 2026, the average apartment rent in Southwest Area is $799 for one bedroom, $916 for two bedrooms, and $1,310 for three bedrooms. Apartment rent in Southwest Area has increased by 10.7% in the past year.

  • 1 BR

  • 540 sq ft

    Average Sq Ft

  • $799/month

    Average Rent

  • 2 BR

  • 798 sq ft

    Average Sq Ft

  • $916/month

    Average Rent

  • 3 BR

  • 1,008 sq ft

    Average Sq Ft

  • $1,310/month

    Average Rent

Getting Around

Fairly Walkable

Walkability

50 / 100

Limited Public Transit

Transit

30 / 100

Exceptionally Drivable

Drivability

100 / 100

Fairly Bikeable

Bikeability

50 / 100

Daily Essentials

Supermarket Within a 10 Minute Walk

Groceries

80 / 100

Fair Restaurant Variety Nearby

Restaurants

50 / 100

Fair Café Variety Nearby

Cafes

50 / 100

Limited Variety of Shops Nearby

Shopping

20 / 100

Local Vibe

Mostly Calm Atmosphere

Vibrancy

30 / 100

Limited Nightlife Variety Nearby

Nightlife

30 / 100

Not Noisy

Quiet Score

90 / 100

Points of Interest

Parks and Recreation

  • Indian Creek Nature Center
  • Palisades-Kepler State Park
  • Palisades-Dow Observatory

Airports

  • The Eastern Iowa

Top Apartments in Southwest Area

Property Management Companies

Search Nearby Rentals

Methodology

† Our analysis of utilities, groceries, transportation, healthcare, home prices, and other goods and services is sourced from the Cost of Living Index, a respected benchmark published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) that provides a thorough overview of living expenses across different regions.

Rent data is provided by CoStar Group’s Market Trend reports. As the industry leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, and news, CoStar conducts extensive research to produce and maintain a comprehensive database of commercial real estate information. We combine this data with public record to provide the most up-to-date rental information available.

Consumer goods, services, and home prices are sourced from the Cost of Living Index published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). The data on this page is updated quarterly. It was last published in February 2026.

Demographic information comes from Neustar and combines detailed address data with U.S. Census and American Community Survey statistics to produce reliable local estimates.