Moving to Iowa from Afghanistan
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Afghanistan to Iowa — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Afghanistan to Iowa, and you’d need to navigate life in English.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Afghanistan to Iowa, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from Afghanistan to United States · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to United States?
Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.
- 10,853,105
- 2,723,764
- 2,184,110
- 2,061,178
- 1,829,251
- 1,410,659
- · · ·
-
51.142,504
Afghanistan
Key Indicator Comparison
How Afghanistan and Iowa stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
Afghanistan performs better than Iowa across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
Iowa performs significantly better than Afghanistan across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
Iowa performs significantly better than Afghanistan across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
Iowa performs significantly better than Afghanistan across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Kabul | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 45°/25°F (8°/-4°C) | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 76°/48°F (25°/9°C) | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 88°/56°F (31°/13°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 59°/31°F (15°/-1°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Kabul | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°/19°F (4.5°/-7.1°C) | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) |
| Feb | 42°/22°F (5.5°/-5.7°C) | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 54°/33°F (12.5°/0.7°C) | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) |
| Apr | 67°/43°F (19.2°/6.0°C) | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) |
| May | 76°/48°F (24.4°/8.8°C) | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) |
| Jun | 86°/54°F (30.2°/12.4°C) | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) |
| Jul | 90°/60°F (32.1°/15.3°C) | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) |
| Aug | 90°/58°F (32.0°/14.3°C) | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) |
| Sep | 83°/49°F (28.5°/9.4°C) | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) |
| Oct | 72°/39°F (22.4°/3.9°C) | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) |
| Nov | 59°/30°F (15.0°/-1.2°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) |
| Dec | 47°/24°F (8.3°/-4.7°C) | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Afghanistan and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.
Afghanistan passport holder visiting United States
Visa Required
United States passport holder visiting Afghanistan
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from Iowa?
Working remotely from Iowa's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in Afghanistan and Iowa.
How is healthcare in Iowa compared to Afghanistan?
Afghanistan performs better than Iowa across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Iowa compared to Afghanistan?
The average high temperature in Des Moines is 60°F, compared to 67°F in Kabul. Des Moines receives around 36.0 in of rainfall per year, while Kabul gets 12.3 in.
What language do they speak in Iowa?
The official language in Iowa is English. In Afghanistan, the official languages are Dari, Pashto and Turkmen.
