Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Spain instead of Iowa, you would:

Health

be 60.4% less likely to be obese

In Iowa, 38.7% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Spain, that number is 15.3% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 3.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Iowa, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Spain, that number is 10.4% as of 2025.

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be 92.4% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iowa, 10.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Spain, however, that number is 20.2% as of 2022.

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make 39.4% less money

Iowa has a GDP per capita of $63,747 as of 2024, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $38,627 as of 2025.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), World Health Organization (2024), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Iowa vs. Spain

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Spain is 14.7% cheaper than Iowa
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Size Comparison · See true size
Iowa is about 3.5 times smaller than Spain.
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Moving from Iowa to Spain · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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City Size Comparison · See true size
Compare the size of Des Moines vs Madrid
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Spain: At a glance

Spain is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 498,980 sq km. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has had to focus on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
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How big is Spain compared to Iowa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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