Cost of living comparison

compared to
Iowa vs. Italy Cost of Living Summary

Iowa is 34.2% more expensive than Italy overall.

Restaurants
pay 3.4% more in Iowa
Groceries
pay 36.4% more in Iowa
Transportation
pay 22.2% less in Iowa
Housing
pay 66.9% more in Iowa
Childcare
pay 2.0 times more in Iowa
Entertainment and Sports
pay 59.4% more in Iowa
Clothing
pay 7.8% less in Iowa

The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, and restaurants in Iowa are more expensive than in Italy. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Iowa. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Iowa.

Iowa vs. Italy Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Iowa instead of Italy, you would:

pay 3.4% more for restaurants

 
Italy
Iowa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $16.15
€15.58
$15.50
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.06
€9.71
$9.86
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.55
€2.46
$2.25
 

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pay 36.4% more for groceries

 
Italy
Iowa
Bread
1 loaf
$2.04
€1.97
$2.75
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.83
€6.59
$5.26
 
Milk (1 gallon) $5.53
€5.34
$3.55
 

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pay 22.2% less for transportation

 
Italy
Iowa
Gasoline (1 gallon) $7.22
€6.97
$3.26
 
Monthly public transit pass $38.81
€37.45
$41.60
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $28,223.13
€27,234.53
$28,209.92
 

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pay 66.9% more for housing

 
Italy
Iowa
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$28.87
€27.86
$68.83
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $656.19
€633.20
$1,149.79
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $511.91
€493.98
$848.38
 

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pay 2.0 times more for childcare

 
Italy
Iowa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $508.72
€490.90
$1,043.98
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $9,465.55
€9,133.99
$19,039.50
 

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pay 59.4% more for entertainment and sports

 
Italy
Iowa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.01
€4.84
$4.95
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.69
€1.63
$5.14
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$6.20
€5.98
$8.68
 

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pay 7.8% less for clothing

 
Italy
Iowa
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$78.41
€75.67
$50.44
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$33.87
€32.68
$39.50
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$86.07
€83.05
$83.35
 

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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: February 2025
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