Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. Iowa Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 55.4% more expensive than Iowa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 38.7% more in District of Columbia
- Groceries
-
pay 41.1% more in District of Columbia
- Transportation
-
pay 39.0% more in District of Columbia
- Housing
-
pay 75.2% more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
-
pay 2.2 times more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 46.0% more in District of Columbia
- Clothing
-
pay 26.5% more in District of Columbia
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, transportation, and restaurants in District of Columbia are more expensive than in Iowa. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in District of Columbia.
District of Columbia vs. Iowa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 38.7% more for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.83
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.57
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
|
$3.20
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$2.79
|
|
Iowa vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 41.1% more for groceries
|
Iowa
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.77
|
$4.43
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.89
|
$8.04
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.33
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.30
|
$4.55
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.57
|
$7.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.96
|
$2.95
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$3.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.99
|
$1.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$1.64
|
|
Iowa vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 39.0% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.02
|
$3.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$38.07
|
$77.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,093.10
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.46
|
$16.73
|
|
Iowa vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 75.2% more for housing
|
Iowa
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.62
|
$69.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,069.66
|
$2,568.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$852.78
|
$2,088.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$133.13
|
$146.54
|
|
Iowa vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 2.2 times more for childcare
|
Iowa
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,152.45
|
$2,650.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,898.50
|
$40,166.67
|
|
Iowa vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 46.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.44
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.43
|
$6.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.55
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.76
|
$103.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.58
|
$16.75
|
|
Iowa vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 26.5% more for clothing
|
Iowa
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.34
|
$76.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.65
|
$48.40
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.56
|
$104.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.86
|
$133.22
|
|
Iowa vs. District of Columbia - Cost of clothing
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
Change currency:
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 District of Columbia or Iowa. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.