Moving to Louisiana from Iowa
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Iowa to Louisiana — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Iowa to Louisiana, you would find that Louisiana is 0.3% cheaper than Iowa. A $75,000 salary in Iowa would need to be roughly $79,438 in Louisiana to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Baton Rouge averages 79°F vs 60°F in Des Moines, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Iowa to Louisiana.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $79,438
To maintain the same standard of living in Louisiana
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 0.6% less
Groceries
pay 10.4% more
Transportation
pay 5.3% more
Housing
pay 9.0% more
Childcare
pay 10.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.5% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Iowa and Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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 performs better than Louisiana 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 Louisiana across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Iowa performs better than Louisiana 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
Iowa performs better than Louisiana 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 performs better than Louisiana 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 | Baton Rouge |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) | 67°/45°F (19°/7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 85°/64°F (30°/18°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 91°/72°F (33°/22°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 72°/50°F (22°/10°C) |
View all months
| Month | Des Moines | Baton Rouge |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) |
| Feb | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) | 66°/44°F (18.7°/6.9°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) | 73°/50°F (22.6°/10.2°C) |
| Apr | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) | 79°/57°F (26.3°/13.8°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.4°C) |
| Jun | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) | 91°/71°F (32.7°/21.9°C) |
| Jul | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) | 92°/74°F (33.4°/23.2°C) |
| Aug | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) | 92°/73°F (33.6°/23.0°C) |
| Sep | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) | 89°/69°F (31.5°/20.3°C) |
| Oct | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) | 81°/58°F (27.1°/14.4°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) | 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C) |
| Dec | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) | 64°/43°F (17.8°/5.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Louisiana than Iowa?
Day-to-day costs in Louisiana run about 6% higher than Iowa on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Louisiana?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $19,860 in Louisiana for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Louisiana safe?
Iowa performs better than Louisiana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Louisiana compared to Iowa?
Iowa performs better than Louisiana across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Louisiana compared to Iowa?
The average high temperature in Baton Rouge is 79°F, compared to 60°F in Des Moines. Baton Rouge receives around 60.6 in of rainfall per year, while Des Moines gets 36.0 in.
