Cost of living comparison
compared to
Iowa vs. Northern Mariana Islands Cost of Living Summary
Iowa is 41.0% more expensive than Northern Mariana Islands overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 27.9% more in Iowa
- Groceries
-
pay 24.8% less in Iowa
- Transportation
-
pay 32.3% less in Iowa
- Housing
-
pay 30.6% more in Iowa
- Childcare
-
pay 3.1 times more in Iowa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 21.0% more in Iowa
- Clothing
-
pay 49.9% more in Iowa
The cost of childcare, clothing, housing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in Iowa are more expensive than in Northern Mariana Islands. Expenses including transportation and groceries are lower in Iowa. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Iowa.
Iowa vs. Northern Mariana Islands Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Iowa instead of Northern Mariana Islands, you would:
pay 27.9% more for restaurants
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$11.50
|
$15.83
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$10.57
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.67
|
$2.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.32
|
$1.82
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. Iowa - Cost of restaurants
pay 24.8% less for groceries
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.33
|
$2.77
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) | ?? |
$5.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.44
|
$3.33
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.33
|
$3.30
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.00
|
$4.57
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.99
|
$1.96
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.00
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.99
|
$1.93
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | ?? |
$1.93
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.95
|
$0.99
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.03
|
$1.30
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. Iowa - Cost of groceries
pay 32.3% less for transportation
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.49
|
$3.02
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$38.07
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,999.00
|
$28,093.10
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.41
|
$15.46
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. Iowa - Cost of transportation
pay 30.6% more for housing
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$60.00
|
$65.62
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$625.00
|
$1,069.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$450.00
|
$852.78
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$254.42
|
$133.13
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. Iowa - Cost of housing
pay 3.1 times more for childcare
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$1,152.45
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,000.00
|
$18,898.50
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. Iowa - Cost of childcare
pay 21.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$4.44
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.12
|
$5.43
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
?? |
$8.55
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.50
|
$63.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.00
|
$13.58
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. Iowa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 49.9% more for clothing
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$30.00
|
$55.34
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.00
|
$41.65
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$70.00
|
$81.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$55.00
|
$106.86
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands 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
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