Cost of living comparison
compared to
Iowa vs. New Hampshire Cost of Living Summary
Iowa is 12.8% cheaper than New Hampshire.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.1% less in Iowa
- Groceries
-
pay 16.5% less in Iowa
- Transportation
-
pay 15.2% less in Iowa
- Housing
-
pay 27.1% less in Iowa
- Childcare
-
pay 20.3% less in Iowa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.2% less in Iowa
- Clothing
-
pay 1.8% more in Iowa
Expenses including housing, childcare, groceries, transportation, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are lower in Iowa.
Iowa vs. New Hampshire Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Iowa instead of New Hampshire, you would:
pay 9.1% less for restaurants
|
New Hampshire
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$22.08
|
$15.83
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.38
|
$10.57
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.39
|
$2.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.89
|
$1.82
|
|
New Hampshire vs. Iowa - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 16.5% less for groceries
|
New Hampshire
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.49
|
$2.77
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.89
|
$5.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.90
|
$3.33
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.21
|
$3.30
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.63
|
$4.57
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.13
|
$1.96
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.79
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.42
|
$1.93
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.30
|
$1.93
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.21
|
$0.99
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.47
|
$1.30
|
|
New Hampshire vs. Iowa - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 15.2% less for transportation
|
New Hampshire
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.21
|
$3.02
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$52.80
|
$38.07
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,178.60
|
$28,093.10
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.04
|
$15.46
|
|
New Hampshire vs. Iowa - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 27.1% less for housing
|
New Hampshire
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.97
|
$65.62
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,783.33
|
$1,069.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,553.61
|
$852.78
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$165.57
|
$133.13
|
|
New Hampshire vs. Iowa - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 20.3% less for childcare
|
New Hampshire
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,754.94
|
$1,152.45
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,200.00
|
$18,898.50
|
|
New Hampshire vs. Iowa - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 3.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
New Hampshire
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.08
|
$4.44
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.54
|
$5.43
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.75
|
$8.55
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$54.99
|
$63.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.21
|
$13.58
|
|
New Hampshire vs. Iowa - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 1.8% more for clothing
|
New Hampshire
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$44.18
|
$55.34
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.02
|
$41.65
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$86.11
|
$81.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$121.14
|
$106.86
|
|
New Hampshire vs. Iowa - Cost of clothing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
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 Iowa or New Hampshire. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.