Cost of living in Iowa City
compared to
Cost of living in Iowa City vs. United States overall average
Iowa City is 6.9% cheaper than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.2% less in Iowa City
- Groceries
-
pay 20.9% less in Iowa City
- Transportation
-
pay 18.1% less in Iowa City
- Housing
-
pay 8.4% less in Iowa City
- Childcare
-
pay 1.3% less in Iowa City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.8% less in Iowa City
- Clothing
-
pay 17.4% more in Iowa City
Expenses including groceries, transportation, restaurants, housing, entertainment and sports, and childcare are lower in Iowa City.
Iowa City Cost of Living Breakdown
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $15.00 |
$11.00
-
$25.00
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.00 |
$8.00
-
$15.00
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.62 |
$2.00
-
$4.00
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.81 |
$1.50
-
$3.00
|
Iowa City - Cost of restaurants
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.68 |
$1.57
-
$7.72
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $4.65 |
$4.65
-
$9.92
|
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.27 |
$2.56
-
$4.40
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.13 |
$2.00
-
$6.00
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $4.77 |
$2.67
-
$8.00
|
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.52 |
$1.30
-
$3.99
|
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.54 |
$0.49
-
$1.09
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.24 |
$0.88
-
$5.67
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.23 |
$1.28
-
$3.98
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.92 |
$0.79
-
$1.59
|
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.29 |
$0.76
-
$2.00
|
Iowa City - Cost of groceries
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.01 |
$2.67
-
$3.50
|
| Monthly public transit pass | $16.00 |
??
-
$32.00
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $29,454.22 |
$23,208.70
-
$35,699.74
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $21.90 |
$21.90
-
$23.40
|
Iowa City - Cost of transportation
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.85 |
$50.00
-
$150.00
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,231.25 |
$875.00
-
$2,500.00
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,100.00 |
$1,000.00
-
$1,200.00
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$163.91 |
$98.65
-
$298.24
|
Iowa City - Cost of housing
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,266.67 |
$1,000.00
-
$1,714.58
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $24,601.00 |
$24,601.00
-
$24,601.00
|
Iowa City - Cost of childcare
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $5.00 |
$4.00
-
$8.00
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.38 |
$4.00
-
$8.00
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.00 |
$8.00
-
$12.00
|
| Monthly membership at local gym | $49.33 |
$10.00
-
$100.00
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.50 |
$12.00
-
$28.00
|
Iowa City - Cost of entertainment and sports
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$70.00 |
$50.00
-
$98.00
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.33 |
$29.99
-
$79.00
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$100.00 |
$60.00
-
$140.00
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $115.00 |
$65.00
-
$175.00
|
Iowa City - Cost of clothing
Tip: Try viewing our aggregate cost of living in Iowa
to see the average cost of cities throughout Iowa, like
Waterloo,
Des Moines,
Ankeny,
Shenandoah,
Iowa City,
and more.
For a detailed breakdown of Santa Cruz vs. the national average, see the cost of living in United States compared to Iowa City.
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