Cost of living comparison
compared to
Newark vs. Iowa City Cost of Living Summary
Newark is 44.4% more expensive than Iowa City.
Newark vs. Iowa City Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Newark instead of Iowa City, you would:
pay 45.4% more for restaurants
|
Iowa City
|
Newark
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$14.00
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.00
|
$14.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.83
|
$3.95
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.19
|
$2.50
|
|
Iowa City vs. Newark - Cost of restaurants
pay 66.9% more for groceries
|
Iowa City
|
Newark
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.71
|
$4.59
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.65
|
$3.60
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.02
|
$5.13
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.51
|
$6.03
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.77
|
$7.93
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.52
|
$3.11
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.54
|
$0.96
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.24
|
$2.83
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$3.08
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$1.83
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.08
|
$2.04
|
|
Iowa City vs. Newark - Cost of groceries
pay 39.0% more for transportation
|
Iowa City
|
Newark
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.83
|
$4.03
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$16.00
|
$55.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,473.37
|
$35,458.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.00
|
$20.44
|
|
Iowa City vs. Newark - Cost of transportation
pay 50.3% more for housing
|
Iowa City
|
Newark
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$82.25
|
$71.57
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,199.75
|
$2,555.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,075.75
|
$1,550.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$206.36
|
$164.61
|
|
Iowa City vs. Newark - Cost of housing
pay 2.1 times more for childcare
|
Iowa City
|
Newark
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,266.67
|
$2,138.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,429.75
|
$60,882.67
|
|
Iowa City vs. Newark - Cost of childcare
pay 5.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa City
|
Newark
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.00
|
$8.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.67
|
$6.50
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.89
|
$12.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$49.33
|
$30.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.50
|
$14.50
|
|
Iowa City vs. Newark - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 8.0% less for clothing
|
Iowa City
|
Newark
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.22
|
$60.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$50.56
|
$28.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$100.00
|
$120.38
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$115.00
|
$132.00
|
|
Iowa City vs. Newark - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: Iowa City vs. Newark
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Newark or Iowa City. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.