Cost of living comparison

compared to

Iowa vs. British Virgin Islands Cost of Living Summary

Iowa is 8.1% more expensive than British Virgin Islands overall.

Restaurants
pay 2.3% less in Iowa
Groceries
pay 22.1% less in Iowa
Transportation
pay 35.0% less in Iowa
Housing
pay 19.8% less in Iowa
Childcare
pay 2.5 times more in Iowa
Entertainment and Sports
pay 8.2% more in Iowa
Clothing
pay 17.4% less in Iowa

The cost of childcare and entertainment and sports in Iowa are more expensive than in British Virgin Islands. Expenses including transportation, groceries, housing, clothing, and restaurants are lower in Iowa. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Iowa.

Iowa vs. British Virgin Islands Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Iowa instead of British Virgin Islands, you would:

pay 2.3% less for restaurants

 
British Virgin Islands
Iowa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $24.49
 
$15.83
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$13.25
 
$10.57
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.97
 
$2.46
 

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pay 22.1% less for groceries

 
British Virgin Islands
Iowa
Bread
1 loaf
$4.96
 
$2.77
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.75
 
$5.89
 
Milk (1 gallon) $9.43
 
$3.33
 

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pay 35.0% less for transportation

 
British Virgin Islands
Iowa
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.64
 
$3.02
 
Monthly public transit pass ?? $38.07
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) ?? $28,093.10
 

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pay 19.8% less for housing

 
British Virgin Islands
Iowa
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$120.00
 
$65.62
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,458.33
 
$1,069.66
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,183.33
 
$852.78
 

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pay 2.5 times more for childcare

 
British Virgin Islands
Iowa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $375.00
 
$1,152.45
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $10,320.00
 
$18,898.50
 

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pay 8.2% more for entertainment and sports

 
British Virgin Islands
Iowa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.75
 
$4.44
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $6.04
 
$5.43
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$5.00
 
$8.55
 

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pay 17.4% less for clothing

 
British Virgin Islands
Iowa
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$47.50
 
$55.34
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$55.00
 
$41.65
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$155.00
 
$81.56
 

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in British Virgin Islands vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within British Virgin Islands and United States.

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