Cost of living comparison
compared to
Iowa vs. North Dakota Cost of Living Summary
Iowa is 5.7% cheaper than North Dakota.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.5% less in Iowa
- Groceries
-
pay 15.1% less in Iowa
- Transportation
-
pay 8.5% less in Iowa
- Housing
-
pay 7.0% less in Iowa
- Childcare
-
pay 12.3% more in Iowa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 5.2% less in Iowa
- Clothing
-
pay 0.8% more in Iowa
The cost of childcare and clothing in Iowa are more expensive than in North Dakota. Expenses including restaurants, groceries, transportation, housing, and entertainment and sports are lower in Iowa.
Iowa vs. North Dakota Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Iowa instead of North Dakota, you would:
pay 17.5% less for restaurants
|
North Dakota
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$23.75
|
$15.83
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.93
|
$10.57
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.61
|
$2.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.26
|
$1.82
|
|
North Dakota vs. Iowa - Cost of restaurants
pay 15.1% less for groceries
|
North Dakota
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.20
|
$2.77
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.11
|
$5.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.19
|
$3.33
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.82
|
$3.30
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.68
|
$4.57
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.43
|
$1.96
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.91
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$1.93
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.90
|
$1.93
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.26
|
$0.99
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.47
|
$1.30
|
|
North Dakota vs. Iowa - Cost of groceries
pay 8.5% less for transportation
|
North Dakota
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.04
|
$3.02
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$42.00
|
$38.07
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,161.99
|
$28,093.10
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$15.46
|
|
North Dakota vs. Iowa - Cost of transportation
pay 7.0% less for housing
|
North Dakota
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$73.48
|
$65.62
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,021.46
|
$1,069.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$800.42
|
$852.78
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$186.50
|
$133.13
|
|
North Dakota vs. Iowa - Cost of housing
pay 12.3% more for childcare
|
North Dakota
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,026.67
|
$1,152.45
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | ?? |
$18,898.50
|
|
North Dakota vs. Iowa - Cost of childcare
pay 5.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
North Dakota
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.47
|
$4.44
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.04
|
$5.43
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.89
|
$8.55
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.33
|
$63.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.94
|
$13.58
|
|
North Dakota vs. Iowa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.8% more for clothing
|
North Dakota
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.27
|
$55.34
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$54.42
|
$41.65
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.10
|
$81.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$88.33
|
$106.86
|
|
North Dakota vs. Iowa - 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: 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 North Dakota. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.