Moving to Alaska from Iowa
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Iowa to Alaska — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Iowa to Alaska, you would find that Alaska is 34.3% more expensive than Iowa. A $75,000 salary in Iowa would need to be roughly $101,000 in Alaska to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Anchorage averages 45°F vs 60°F in Des Moines, making it significantly cooler. Des Moines and Anchorage are about 2,650 mi apart.
Is Alaska cheaper than Iowa?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 42.5% more
Groceries
pay 37.4% more
Transportation
pay 11.8% more
Housing
pay 57.4% more
Childcare
pay 16.6% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 28.0% 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 Alaska?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $101,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Alaska
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
How Iowa and Alaska 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 better than Alaska 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 generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Alaska leads in adult obesity rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Iowa performs better than Alaska across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Alaska performs significantly better than Iowa 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
Alaska 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
Iowa generally does better on family life, though Alaska leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
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 Alaska vs Iowa
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Des Moines | Anchorage |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) | 28°/13°F (-2°/-11°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 56°/40°F (13°/4°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 63°/49°F (17°/9°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 31°/18°F (0°/-7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Des Moines | Anchorage |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) | 23°/9°F (-5.1°/-12.9°C) |
| Feb | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) | 27°/11°F (-2.6°/-11.7°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) | 35°/18°F (1.7°/-7.6°C) |
| Apr | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) | 46°/30°F (8.0°/-1.3°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) | 58°/41°F (14.2°/5.0°C) |
| Jun | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) | 65°/49°F (18.2°/9.4°C) |
| Jul | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) | 68°/53°F (20.0°/11.9°C) |
| Aug | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) | 65°/51°F (18.1°/10.4°C) |
| Sep | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) | 56°/42°F (13.5°/5.7°C) |
| Oct | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) | 41°/29°F (5.2°/-1.6°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) | 28°/15°F (-2.4°/-9.2°C) |
| Dec | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) | 24°/11°F (-4.2°/-11.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Alaska than Iowa?
Day-to-day costs in Alaska run about 34% higher than Iowa on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Alaska?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $25,250 in Alaska for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Alaska safe?
Iowa performs better than Alaska across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Alaska compared to Iowa?
Iowa generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Alaska leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Alaska compared to Iowa?
The average high temperature in Anchorage is 45°F, compared to 60°F in Des Moines. Anchorage receives around 17.9 in of rainfall per year, while Des Moines gets 36.0 in.
