Cost of living comparison

compared to

Iowa vs. Belgium Cost of Living Summary

Iowa is 5.1% cheaper than Belgium overall.

Restaurants
pay 18.5% less in Iowa
Groceries
pay 8.5% more in Iowa
Transportation
pay 34.9% less in Iowa
Housing
pay 7.4% more in Iowa
Childcare
pay 0.6% less in Iowa
Entertainment and Sports
pay 15.7% more in Iowa
Clothing
pay 25.0% less in Iowa

The cost of entertainment and sports, groceries, and housing in Iowa are more expensive than in Belgium. Expenses including transportation, clothing, restaurants, and childcare are lower in Iowa.

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Iowa vs. Belgium Cost Breakdown

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

pay 18.5% less for restaurants

 
Belgium
Iowa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $21.51
€19.21
$17.44
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
 $12.72
€11.35
$10.71
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $3.15
€2.81
$2.66
 
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pay 8.5% more for groceries

 
Belgium
Iowa
Bread
1 loaf
 $2.56
€2.28
$2.86
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.21
€6.43
$5.29
 
Milk (1 gallon) $4.74
€4.23
$3.19
 
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pay 34.9% less for transportation

 
Belgium
Iowa
Gasoline (1 gallon) $7.52
€6.72
$3.52
 
Monthly public transit pass $50.17
€44.79
$34.83
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $34,462.94
€30,771.86
$32,592.26
 
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pay 7.4% more for housing

 
Belgium
Iowa
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
 $51.15
€45.67
$67.97
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $940.80
€840.04
$1,095.70
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $826.78
€738.23
$867.32
 
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pay 0.6% less for childcare

 
Belgium
Iowa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $923.48
€824.58
$1,080.37
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $22,984.85
€20,523.10
$19,409.87
 
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pay 15.7% more for entertainment and sports

 
Belgium
Iowa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $4.94
€4.41
$4.61
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.03
€3.59
$5.52
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
 $12.32
€11.00
$9.16
 
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pay 25.0% less for clothing

 
Belgium
Iowa
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
 $100.04
€89.32
$51.95
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
 $43.19
€38.56
$38.14
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
 $96.42
€86.09
$88.30
 
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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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Compare further: Belgium vs. Iowa

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