Moving to District of Columbia from Iowa
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Iowa to District of Columbia — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Iowa to District of Columbia, you would find that District of Columbia is 69.4% more expensive than Iowa. A $75,000 salary in Iowa would need to be roughly $127,000 in District of Columbia to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Iowa to District of Columbia.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $127,000
To maintain the same standard of living in District of Columbia
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 35.2% more
Groceries
pay 44.6% more
Transportation
pay 51.2% more
Housing
pay 2.1 times more
Childcare
pay 2.5 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 51.8% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Iowa and District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia 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
District of Columbia performs significantly better than Iowa 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 performs better than District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia 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
District of Columbia 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 | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) | 48°/28°F (9°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 75°/51°F (24°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 85°/62°F (29°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Des Moines | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) | 42°/24°F (5.8°/-4.5°C) |
| Feb | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) | 46°/26°F (8.0°/-3.3°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) | 56°/33°F (13.1°/0.5°C) |
| Apr | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) | 67°/42°F (19.3°/5.6°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) | 75°/51°F (23.9°/10.7°C) |
| Jun | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) | 84°/61°F (28.8°/16.1°C) |
| Jul | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.6°C) |
| Aug | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) | 87°/64°F (30.3°/17.9°C) |
| Sep | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) | 79°/56°F (26.3°/13.5°C) |
| Oct | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.6°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) | 58°/35°F (14.2°/1.8°C) |
| Dec | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) | 46°/27°F (7.8°/-2.7°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in District of Columbia than Iowa?
Day-to-day costs in District of Columbia run about 69% higher than Iowa on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to District of Columbia?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $31,750 in District of Columbia for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is District of Columbia safe?
Iowa performs better than District of Columbia across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in District of Columbia compared to Iowa?
District of Columbia performs significantly better than Iowa across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in District of Columbia compared to Iowa?
The average high temperature in Washington is 66°F, compared to 60°F in Des Moines. Washington receives around 41.5 in of rainfall per year, while Des Moines gets 36.0 in.
