Cost of living comparison
compared to
Michigan vs. Iowa Cost of Living Summary
Michigan is 0.6% more expensive than Iowa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 0.1% more in Michigan
- Groceries
-
pay 5.0% more in Michigan
- Transportation
-
pay 13.9% more in Michigan
- Housing
-
pay 9.5% more in Michigan
- Childcare
-
pay 3.1% less in Michigan
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 10.7% less in Michigan
- Clothing
-
pay 10.3% less in Michigan
The cost of transportation, housing, groceries, and restaurants in Michigan are more expensive than in Iowa. Expenses including entertainment and sports, clothing, and childcare are lower in Michigan.
Michigan vs. Iowa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Michigan instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 0.1% more for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
Michigan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.83
|
$17.26
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.57
|
$10.06
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
|
$2.43
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$1.77
|
|
Iowa vs. Michigan - Cost of restaurants
pay 5.0% more for groceries
|
Iowa
|
Michigan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.77
|
$3.02
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.89
|
$5.45
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.33
|
$3.20
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.30
|
$3.00
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.57
|
$4.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.96
|
$2.32
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$2.03
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$2.23
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.99
|
$1.22
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$1.34
|
|
Iowa vs. Michigan - Cost of groceries
pay 13.9% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
Michigan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.02
|
$3.28
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$38.07
|
$46.54
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,093.10
|
$33,599.47
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.46
|
$16.29
|
|
Iowa vs. Michigan - Cost of transportation
pay 9.5% more for housing
|
Iowa
|
Michigan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.62
|
$61.76
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,069.66
|
$1,257.26
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$852.78
|
$1,053.74
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$133.13
|
$136.74
|
|
Iowa vs. Michigan - Cost of housing
pay 3.1% less for childcare
|
Iowa
|
Michigan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,152.45
|
$1,153.90
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,898.50
|
$17,706.02
|
|
Iowa vs. Michigan - Cost of childcare
pay 10.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
Michigan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.44
|
$4.77
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.43
|
$4.65
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.55
|
$9.12
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.76
|
$41.31
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.58
|
$11.16
|
|
Iowa vs. Michigan - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.3% less for clothing
|
Iowa
|
Michigan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.34
|
$48.69
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.65
|
$32.31
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.56
|
$83.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.86
|
$96.99
|
|
Iowa vs. Michigan - 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
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