Cost of living comparison
compared to
Iowa vs. West Virginia Cost of Living Summary
Iowa is 11.6% more expensive than West Virginia.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.2% more in Iowa
- Groceries
-
pay 7.1% more in Iowa
- Transportation
-
pay 12.9% less in Iowa
- Housing
-
pay 3.2% less in Iowa
- Childcare
-
pay 54.2% more in Iowa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 25.7% more in Iowa
- Clothing
-
pay 9.0% more in Iowa
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, groceries, and restaurants in Iowa are more expensive than in West Virginia. Expenses including transportation and housing are lower in Iowa.
Iowa vs. West Virginia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Iowa instead of West Virginia, you would:
pay 1.2% more for restaurants
|
West Virginia
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.56
|
$15.83
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.18
|
$10.57
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.40
|
$2.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.87
|
$1.82
|
|
West Virginia vs. Iowa - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.1% more for groceries
|
West Virginia
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.54
|
$2.77
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.57
|
$5.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.06
|
$3.33
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.10
|
$3.30
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.29
|
$4.57
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.89
|
$1.96
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.61
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.64
|
$1.93
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.70
|
$1.93
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.23
|
$0.99
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.30
|
|
West Virginia vs. Iowa - Cost of groceries
pay 12.9% less for transportation
|
West Virginia
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.15
|
$3.02
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.00
|
$38.07
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,636.47
|
$28,093.10
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.12
|
$15.46
|
|
West Virginia vs. Iowa - Cost of transportation
pay 3.2% less for housing
|
West Virginia
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.38
|
$65.62
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$985.60
|
$1,069.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$808.85
|
$852.78
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$195.99
|
$133.13
|
|
West Virginia vs. Iowa - Cost of housing
pay 54.2% more for childcare
|
West Virginia
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$895.95
|
$1,152.45
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,512.00
|
$18,898.50
|
|
West Virginia vs. Iowa - Cost of childcare
pay 25.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
West Virginia
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.44
|
$4.44
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.52
|
$5.43
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.29
|
$8.55
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$33.14
|
$63.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.09
|
$13.58
|
|
West Virginia vs. Iowa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.0% more for clothing
|
West Virginia
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.93
|
$55.34
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.06
|
$41.65
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.25
|
$81.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$96.41
|
$106.86
|
|
West Virginia 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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