Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York City vs. Iowa Cost of Living Summary
New York City is 86.8% more expensive than Iowa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 37.5% more in New York City
- Groceries
-
pay 62.3% more in New York City
- Transportation
-
pay 84.0% more in New York City
- Housing
-
pay 2.2 times more in New York City
- Childcare
-
pay 2.9 times more in New York City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 78.0% more in New York City
- Clothing
-
pay 35.5% more in New York City
The cost of childcare, housing, transportation, entertainment and sports, groceries, and restaurants in New York City are more expensive than in Iowa. Notably, childcare, housing, and transportation are significantly more expensive in New York City.
New York City vs. Iowa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York City instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 37.5% more for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.83
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.57
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
|
$3.09
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$2.61
|
|
Iowa vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants
pay 62.3% more for groceries
|
Iowa
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.77
|
$4.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.89
|
$8.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.33
|
$6.05
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.30
|
$7.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.57
|
$7.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.96
|
$3.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$1.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$2.60
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$2.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.99
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$1.78
|
|
Iowa vs. New York City - Cost of groceries
pay 84.0% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.02
|
$3.47
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$38.07
|
$132.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,093.10
|
$36,344.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.46
|
$22.39
|
|
Iowa vs. New York City - Cost of transportation
pay 2.2 times more for housing
|
Iowa
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.62
|
$67.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,069.66
|
$4,037.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$852.78
|
$2,496.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$133.13
|
$151.98
|
|
Iowa vs. New York City - Cost of housing
pay 2.9 times more for childcare
|
Iowa
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,152.45
|
$3,154.10
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,898.50
|
$57,250.00
|
|
Iowa vs. New York City - Cost of childcare
pay 78.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.44
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.43
|
$5.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.55
|
$19.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.76
|
$150.04
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.58
|
$20.00
|
|
Iowa vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 35.5% more for clothing
|
Iowa
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.34
|
$67.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.65
|
$49.94
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.56
|
$115.58
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.86
|
$168.76
|
|
Iowa vs. New York City - 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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