Moving to Iowa from Florida
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Florida to Iowa — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Florida to Iowa, you would find that Iowa is 21.3% cheaper than Florida. A $75,000 salary in Florida would need to be roughly $59,000 in Iowa to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Des Moines averages 60°F vs 78°F in Jacksonville, making it significantly cooler. Jacksonville and Des Moines are about 1,000 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to Iowa? Get a shortlist of towns in Iowa that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is Iowa cheaper than Florida?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 13.4% less
Groceries
pay 13.3% less
Transportation
pay 17.5% less
Housing
pay 37.3% less
Childcare
pay 8.9% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.0% 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.
What salary do you need in Iowa?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $59,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Iowa
Calculate with your salary →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 25% less than cities in Florida.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Florida to Iowa.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Iowa performs significantly better than Florida 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
Florida 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 Florida across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Florida 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
Iowa performs significantly better than Florida across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Florida performs better than Iowa 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
Weather in Iowa vs Florida
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Jacksonville | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 83°/64°F (28°/18°C) | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 88°/73°F (31°/22°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 73°/54°F (23°/12°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Jacksonville | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64°/44°F (18.0°/6.6°C) | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) |
| Feb | 67°/46°F (19.5°/7.9°C) | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 72°/52°F (22.4°/10.9°C) | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) |
| Apr | 78°/56°F (25.4°/13.6°C) | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) |
| May | 84°/64°F (28.9°/17.7°C) | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) |
| Jun | 88°/71°F (31.2°/21.7°C) | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) |
| Jul | 90°/73°F (32.4°/22.7°C) | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) |
| Aug | 89°/74°F (31.9°/23.1°C) | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) |
| Sep | 86°/71°F (30.1°/21.6°C) | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) |
| Oct | 80°/63°F (26.4°/17.1°C) | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) |
| Nov | 73°/53°F (22.9°/11.8°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) |
| Dec | 66°/46°F (19.0°/7.9°C) | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Iowa than Florida?
Yes — Iowa is on average about 21% cheaper than Florida. 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 $14,750 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 Florida across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Iowa compared to Florida?
Florida generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Iowa leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Iowa compared to Florida?
The average high temperature in Des Moines is 60°F, compared to 78°F in Jacksonville. Des Moines receives around 36.0 in of rainfall per year, while Jacksonville gets 51.7 in.
