Moving to Iowa from California
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from California to Iowa — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from California to Iowa, you would find that Iowa is 22.3% cheaper than California. A $75,000 salary in California would need to be roughly $52,607 in Iowa to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Des Moines averages 60°F vs 74°F in Sacramento, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from California to Iowa.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $52,607
To maintain the same standard of living in Iowa
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 17.5% less
Groceries
pay 21.9% less
Transportation
pay 27.9% less
Housing
pay 34.9% less
Childcare
pay 33.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 15.9% less
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 35% less than cities in California.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How California and Iowa stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Iowa performs significantly better than California 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
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Iowa leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Iowa performs significantly better than California across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
California generally does better on infrastructure, though Iowa leads in average commute.
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
California generally does better on employment & economy, though Iowa leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
California performs better than Iowa across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Sacramento | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Sacramento | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) |
| Feb | 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) |
| Apr | 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) |
| May | 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) |
| Jun | 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) |
| Jul | 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) |
| Aug | 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) |
| Sep | 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) |
| Oct | 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) |
| Nov | 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) |
| Dec | 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Iowa than California?
Generally yes: Iowa runs about 30% cheaper than California on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Iowa?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $13,152 in Iowa for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Iowa safe?
Iowa performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Iowa compared to California?
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Iowa leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Iowa compared to California?
The average high temperature in Des Moines is 60°F, compared to 74°F in Sacramento. Des Moines receives around 36.0 in of rainfall per year, while Sacramento gets 18.5 in.
