Cost of living comparison
compared to
Reno vs. Iowa Cost of Living Summary
Reno is 24.8% more expensive than Iowa.
Reno vs. Iowa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Reno instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 31.2% more for restaurants
Iowa | Reno | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $15.83 | $27.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $10.57 | $14.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.46 | $2.88 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.82 | $1.90 | |
Iowa vs. Reno - Cost of restaurants
pay 22.7% more for groceries
Iowa | Reno | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.77 | $4.04 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.89 | $5.58 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.33 | $4.94 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $3.30 | $4.44 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $4.57 | $5.47 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.96 | $2.07 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.65 | $0.76 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.93 | $1.45 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.93 | $3.21 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.99 | $1.25 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.30 | $1.51 | |
Iowa vs. Reno - Cost of groceries
pay 41.4% more for transportation
Iowa | Reno | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.02 | $4.25 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $38.07 | $65.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $28,093.10 | $27,322.00 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $15.46 | $24.23 | |
Iowa vs. Reno - Cost of transportation
pay 38.2% more for housing
Iowa | Reno | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $65.62 | $89.29 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,069.66 | $1,561.11 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $852.78 | $1,400.00 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $133.13 | $142.08 | |
Iowa vs. Reno - Cost of housing
pay 24.5% more for childcare
Iowa | Reno | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,152.45 | $1,371.67 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $18,898.50 | $24,561.67 | |
Iowa vs. Reno - Cost of childcare
pay 11.9% more for entertainment and sports
Iowa | Reno | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $4.44 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.43 | $5.29 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $8.55 | $9.93 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $63.76 | $37.68 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.58 | $14.50 | |
Iowa vs. Reno - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.6% more for clothing
Iowa | Reno | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $55.34 | $55.53 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $41.65 | $33.25 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $81.56 | $78.85 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $106.86 | $147.00 | |
Iowa vs. Reno - 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: June 2026
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