Moving to California from Iowa
What to Expect
Considering a move from Iowa to California? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Iowa to California, you would find that California is 35.3% more expensive than Iowa. A $75,000 salary in Iowa would need to be roughly $106,924 in California to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Sacramento averages 74°F vs 60°F in Des Moines, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Iowa and California.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $106,924
To maintain the same standard of living in California
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 21.9% more
Groceries
pay 30.7% more
Transportation
pay 42.3% more
Housing
pay 73.8% more
Childcare
pay 51.1% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 22.4% 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 California cost about 53% more than cities in Iowa.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in California compared to Iowa.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Iowa performs 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
Iowa generally does better on health & wellbeing, though California 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 California across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Iowa generally does better on infrastructure, though California leads in internet access.
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 California leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
California performs significantly 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 | Des Moines | Sacramento |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) | 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Des Moines | Sacramento |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) | 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) |
| Feb | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) | 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) | 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) |
| Apr | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) | 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) | 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) |
| Jun | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) | 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) |
| Jul | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) | 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) |
| Aug | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) | 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) |
| Sep | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) | 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) |
| Oct | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) | 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) | 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) |
| Dec | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) | 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in California than Iowa?
On average California is around 43% pricier than Iowa, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to California?
Budget about $26,731 for 3 months in California (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is California safe?
Iowa performs better than California across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in California compared to Iowa?
Iowa generally does better on health & wellbeing, though California leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in California compared to Iowa?
The average high temperature in Sacramento is 74°F, compared to 60°F in Des Moines. Sacramento receives around 18.5 in of rainfall per year, while Des Moines gets 36.0 in.
