Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Carolina vs. Iowa Cost of Living Summary
North Carolina is 14.7% more expensive than Iowa.
- Groceries
-
pay 25.8% more in North Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 26.7% more in North Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 24.4% more in North Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 19.9% more in North Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.7% less in North Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 2.0% less in North Carolina
The cost of transportation, groceries, housing, and childcare in North Carolina are more expensive than in Iowa. Expenses including entertainment and sports, clothing, and restaurants are lower in North Carolina.
North Carolina vs. Iowa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Carolina instead of Iowa, you would:
pay (unknown) more for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.83
|
$17.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.57
|
$10.47
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
|
$2.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$1.82
|
Iowa vs. North Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 25.8% more for groceries
|
Iowa
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.77
|
$3.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.89
|
$6.80
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.33
|
$3.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.30
|
$3.98
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.57
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.96
|
$2.47
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$0.71
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.99
|
$1.74
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$1.80
|
|
Iowa vs. North Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 26.7% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.02
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$38.07
|
$60.67
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,093.10
|
$33,588.64
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.46
|
$19.99
|
|
Iowa vs. North Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 24.4% more for housing
|
Iowa
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.62
|
$72.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,069.66
|
$1,488.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$852.78
|
$1,261.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$133.13
|
$132.31
|
|
Iowa vs. North Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 19.9% more for childcare
|
Iowa
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,152.45
|
$1,261.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,898.50
|
$24,633.15
|
|
Iowa vs. North Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 6.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.44
|
$5.12
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.43
|
$4.82
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.55
|
$7.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.76
|
$48.40
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.58
|
$12.98
|
|
Iowa vs. North Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.0% less for clothing
|
Iowa
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.34
|
$49.30
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.65
|
$37.76
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.56
|
$88.37
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.86
|
$111.01
|
|
Iowa vs. North Carolina - 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 North Carolina or Iowa. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.