Cost of living comparison
compared to
Iowa City vs. New York City Cost of Living Summary
Iowa City is 49.6% cheaper than New York City.
Iowa City vs. New York City Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Iowa City instead of New York City, you would:
pay 40.4% less for restaurants
|
New York City
|
Iowa City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$26.50
|
$14.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$14.50
|
$9.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.95
|
$2.83
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.97
|
$2.19
|
|
New York City vs. Iowa City - Cost of restaurants
pay 45.3% less for groceries
|
New York City
|
Iowa City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.78
|
$2.71
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.47
|
$4.65
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.13
|
$3.02
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.03
|
$3.51
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.93
|
$4.77
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.11
|
$1.52
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.96
|
$0.54
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.83
|
$1.24
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.08
|
$2.20
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.83
|
$0.92
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$1.08
|
|
New York City vs. Iowa City - Cost of groceries
pay 44.3% less for transportation
|
New York City
|
Iowa City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.31
|
$3.83
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$140.00
|
$16.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,458.00
|
$35,473.37
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.44
|
$20.00
|
|
New York City vs. Iowa City - Cost of transportation
pay 60.2% less for housing
|
New York City
|
Iowa City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$71.57
|
$82.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$4,447.32
|
$1,199.75
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$3,217.65
|
$1,075.75
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$164.80
|
$206.36
|
|
New York City vs. Iowa City - Cost of housing
pay 62.0% less for childcare
|
New York City
|
Iowa City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$3,379.10
|
$1,266.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$60,882.67
|
$23,429.75
|
|
New York City vs. Iowa City - Cost of childcare
pay 43.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
New York City
|
Iowa City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.50
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.50
|
$5.67
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$19.00
|
$8.89
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$121.41
|
$49.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$22.50
|
$13.50
|
|
New York City vs. Iowa City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 13.2% less for clothing
|
New York City
|
Iowa City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$75.86
|
$64.22
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$54.45
|
$50.56
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$120.38
|
$100.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$132.00
|
$115.00
|
|
New York City vs. Iowa City - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: New York City vs. Iowa City
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 City or New York City. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.