Moving to Florida from Iowa
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Iowa to Florida — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Iowa to Florida, you would find that Florida is 27.0% more expensive than Iowa. A $75,000 salary in Iowa would need to be roughly $95,300 in Florida to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Jacksonville averages 78°F vs 60°F in Des Moines, making it significantly warmer. Des Moines and Jacksonville are about 1,000 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to Florida? Get a shortlist of towns in Florida that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is Florida cheaper than Iowa?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 15.5% more
Groceries
pay 15.4% more
Transportation
pay 21.2% more
Housing
pay 59.4% more
Childcare
pay 9.7% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 4.8% 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.
What salary do you need in Florida?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $95,300
To maintain the same standard of living in Florida
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 Florida cost about 33% more than cities in Iowa.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Iowa to Florida.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Iowa performs 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
Iowa generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Florida 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 Florida 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 Florida 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 performs 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
Iowa generally does better on family life, though Florida 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 Florida vs Iowa
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Des Moines | Jacksonville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 83°/64°F (28°/18°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 88°/73°F (31°/22°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 73°/54°F (23°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Des Moines | Jacksonville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) | 64°/44°F (18.0°/6.6°C) |
| Feb | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) | 67°/46°F (19.5°/7.9°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) | 72°/52°F (22.4°/10.9°C) |
| Apr | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) | 78°/56°F (25.4°/13.6°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) | 84°/64°F (28.9°/17.7°C) |
| Jun | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) | 88°/71°F (31.2°/21.7°C) |
| Jul | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) | 90°/73°F (32.4°/22.7°C) |
| Aug | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) | 89°/74°F (31.9°/23.1°C) |
| Sep | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) | 86°/71°F (30.1°/21.6°C) |
| Oct | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) | 80°/63°F (26.4°/17.1°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) | 73°/53°F (22.9°/11.8°C) |
| Dec | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) | 66°/46°F (19.0°/7.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Florida than Iowa?
No — Florida is on average about 27% more expensive than Iowa. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Florida?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $23,825 in Florida on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Florida safe?
Iowa performs better than Florida across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Florida compared to Iowa?
Iowa generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Florida leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Florida compared to Iowa?
The average high temperature in Jacksonville is 78°F, compared to 60°F in Des Moines. Jacksonville receives around 51.7 in of rainfall per year, while Des Moines gets 36.0 in.
