Cost of living comparison
Alabama is 10.9% more expensive than Iowa.
If you lived in Alabama instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 3.3% more for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.78
|
$12.82
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.14
|
$7.61
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.85
|
$1.91
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.41
|
$1.45
|
|
pay 18.4% less for groceries
|
Iowa
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.16
|
$2.53
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.38
|
$4.97
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.15
|
$3.13
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.51
|
$2.24
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.54
|
$3.48
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.89
|
$2.26
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.86
|
$0.64
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.53
|
$1.69
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.76
|
$1.75
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.37
|
$1.17
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.61
|
$1.10
|
|
pay 96.2% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.36
|
$4.03
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.33
|
$200.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$23,893.71
|
$23,974.95
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.21
|
$15.38
|
|
pay 8.9% more for housing
|
Iowa
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.55
|
$59.91
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$918.24
|
$1,088.89
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$613.65
|
$758.08
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$124.43
|
$132.13
|
|
pay 3.0% more for childcare
|
Iowa
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$774.78
|
$640.71
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,825.50
|
$13,351.36
|
|
pay 8.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.86
|
$4.63
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.11
|
$4.40
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.71
|
$6.64
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$42.53
|
$29.52
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.79
|
$10.85
|
|
pay 8.1% less for clothing
|
Iowa
|
Alabama
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$42.17
|
$41.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.59
|
$33.37
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$80.21
|
$73.04
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.09
|
$93.59
|
|
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