Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Iowa instead of New Zealand, you would:

Health

be 13.8% more likely to be obese

In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iowa, that number is 38.7% of people as of 2022.

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Economy

be 35.0% less likely to be unemployed

In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iowa, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.

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make 28.5% more money

New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Iowa, the GDP per capita is $63,747 as of 2024.

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

Compare further: New Zealand vs. Iowa

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Iowa is 6.3% more expensive than New Zealand overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
New Zealand is about 1.9 times bigger than Iowa.
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Moving from New Zealand to Iowa · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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City Size Comparison · See true size
Compare the size of Auckland vs Des Moines
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