Moving to Iowa from Alabama
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Alabama to Iowa — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Alabama to Iowa, you would find that Iowa is 4.2% cheaper than Alabama. A $75,000 salary in Alabama would need to be roughly $71,800 in Iowa to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Des Moines averages 60°F vs 76°F in Montgomery, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Alabama to Iowa.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $71,800
To maintain the same standard of living in Iowa
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 1.4% less
Groceries
pay 2.4% less
Transportation
pay 12.8% less
Housing
pay 4.9% less
Childcare
pay 10.9% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 8.4% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Iowa cost about 5% less than cities in Alabama.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Alabama to Iowa.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Iowa performs significantly better than Alabama across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Iowa performs significantly better than Alabama across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Iowa generally does better on what about housing?, though Alabama leads in median home value.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Iowa performs significantly better than Alabama across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Iowa generally does better on employment & economy, though Alabama leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Iowa performs significantly better than Alabama across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Montgomery | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 63°/40°F (17°/4°C) | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 84°/60°F (29°/16°C) | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/69°F (32°/21°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 69°/45°F (21°/7°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Montgomery | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°/36°F (14.1°/2.1°C) | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) |
| Feb | 62°/39°F (16.6°/4.0°C) | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 70°/45°F (20.9°/7.4°C) | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) |
| Apr | 77°/52°F (24.8°/10.9°C) | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) |
| May | 84°/61°F (28.9°/15.9°C) | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) |
| Jun | 90°/68°F (32.1°/20.1°C) | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) |
| Jul | 92°/71°F (33.4°/21.9°C) | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) |
| Aug | 92°/71°F (33.3°/21.7°C) | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) |
| Sep | 87°/65°F (30.7°/18.4°C) | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) |
| Oct | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) |
| Nov | 69°/44°F (20.6°/6.6°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) |
| Dec | 60°/37°F (15.3°/3.0°C) | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Iowa than Alabama?
Yes — Iowa is on average about 4% cheaper than Alabama. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Iowa?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $17,950 in Iowa on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Iowa safe?
Iowa performs significantly better than Alabama across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Iowa compared to Alabama?
Iowa performs significantly better than Alabama across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Iowa compared to Alabama?
The average high temperature in Des Moines is 60°F, compared to 76°F in Montgomery. Des Moines receives around 36.0 in of rainfall per year, while Montgomery gets 53.1 in.
