Cost of living comparison
compared to
Marshall Islands vs. Iowa Cost of Living Summary
Marshall Islands is 3.6% cheaper than Iowa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 25.2% less in Marshall Islands
- Groceries
-
pay 97.4% more in Marshall Islands
- Transportation
-
pay 26.2% more in Marshall Islands
- Housing
-
pay 8.1% less in Marshall Islands
- Childcare
-
pay 86.3% less in Marshall Islands
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 25.4% less in Marshall Islands
- Clothing
-
pay 31.3% less in Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands vs. Iowa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Marshall Islands instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 25.2% less for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.44
|
$10.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.71
|
$10.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.66
|
$1.83
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.93
|
$2.00
|
|
Iowa vs. Marshall Islands - Cost of restaurants
pay 97.4% more for groceries
|
Iowa
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.86
|
$3.40
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.29
|
$15.39
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.19
|
$8.52
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.35
|
$5.19
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.87
|
$4.99
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.11
|
$1.99
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$3.29
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.01
|
$3.95
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$5.79
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.07
|
$2.39
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.29
|
$2.49
|
|
Iowa vs. Marshall Islands - Cost of groceries
pay 26.2% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.52
|
$6.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$34.83
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,592.26
|
$25,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.02
|
?? | |
Iowa vs. Marshall Islands - Cost of transportation
pay 8.1% less for housing
|
Iowa
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.97
|
$80.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,095.70
|
$775.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$867.32
|
$875.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$143.75
|
$191.13
|
|
Iowa vs. Marshall Islands - Cost of housing
pay 86.3% less for childcare
|
Iowa
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,080.37
|
$150.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,409.87
|
$2,640.00
|
|
Iowa vs. Marshall Islands - Cost of childcare
pay 25.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.61
|
$4.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.52
|
$4.33
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.16
|
$6.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$61.55
|
$37.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.85
|
?? | |
Iowa vs. Marshall Islands - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 31.3% less for clothing
|
Iowa
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.95
|
$70.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.14
|
$40.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.30
|
$30.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$107.49
|
$50.00
|
|
Iowa vs. Marshall Islands - 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
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Compare further: Iowa vs. Marshall Islands
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Make 86.7% less money in Marshall Islands
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Size Comparison · See true size
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Moving from Iowa to Marshall Islands · Cost, visas & climate
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