Cost of living comparison

compared to
Iowa vs. Louisiana Cost of Living Summary

Iowa is 3.8% more expensive than Louisiana.

Restaurants
pay 8.3% less in Iowa
Groceries
pay 0.2% more in Iowa
Transportation
pay 0.3% less in Iowa
Housing
pay 2.3% less in Iowa
Childcare
pay 18.8% more in Iowa
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.9% more in Iowa
Clothing
pay 8.8% more in Iowa

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

Iowa vs. Louisiana Cost Breakdown

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

pay 8.3% less for restaurants

 
Louisiana
Iowa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $17.81
 
$15.50
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.83
 
$9.86
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.37
 
$2.25
 

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pay 0.2% more for groceries

 
Louisiana
Iowa
Bread
1 loaf
$2.96
 
$2.75
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.15
 
$5.26
 
Milk (1 gallon) $4.35
 
$3.55
 

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pay 0.3% less for transportation

 
Louisiana
Iowa
Gasoline (1 gallon) $2.93
 
$3.26
 
Monthly public transit pass $40.33
 
$41.60
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $36,948.70
 
$28,209.92
 

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pay 2.3% less for housing

 
Louisiana
Iowa
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$62.76
 
$68.83
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,159.60
 
$1,149.79
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,039.36
 
$848.38
 

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pay 18.8% more for childcare

 
Louisiana
Iowa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,554.86
 
$1,043.98
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $11,175.00
 
$19,039.50
 

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pay 9.9% more for entertainment and sports

 
Louisiana
Iowa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $4.80
 
$4.95
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.08
 
$5.14
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$8.50
 
$8.68
 

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pay 8.8% more for clothing

 
Louisiana
Iowa
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$45.13
 
$50.44
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$37.45
 
$39.50
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$76.65
 
$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: January 2025
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