Moving to Maryland from Iowa
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Iowa to Maryland — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Iowa to Maryland, you would find that Maryland is 27.8% more expensive than Iowa. A $75,000 salary in Iowa would need to be roughly $96,605 in Maryland to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Iowa to Maryland.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $96,605
To maintain the same standard of living in Maryland
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 6.5% more
Groceries
pay 37.8% more
Transportation
pay 44.0% more
Housing
pay 32.8% more
Childcare
pay 62.1% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 7.4% 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 Maryland cost about 28% more than cities in Iowa.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Iowa and Maryland 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 Maryland 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 Maryland 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 Maryland 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 Maryland 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
Maryland 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 Maryland leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
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 | Annapolis |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) | 50°/33°F (10°/0°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 77°/57°F (25°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 86°/69°F (30°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 59°/42°F (15°/6°C) |
View all months
| Month | Des Moines | Annapolis |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) | 44°/29°F (6.9°/-1.6°C) |
| Feb | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) | 48°/31°F (9.0°/-0.5°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) | 57°/38°F (13.7°/3.5°C) |
| Apr | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) | 68°/47°F (20.1°/8.6°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) | 77°/57°F (25.0°/13.7°C) |
| Jun | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.2°C) |
| Jul | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) | 89°/71°F (31.9°/21.9°C) |
| Aug | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) | 87°/71°F (30.8°/21.4°C) |
| Sep | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) | 81°/64°F (27.2°/17.6°C) |
| Oct | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) | 69°/52°F (20.7°/10.9°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) | 59°/42°F (14.9°/5.3°C) |
| Dec | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) | 48°/33°F (9.1°/0.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Maryland than Iowa?
Day-to-day costs in Maryland run about 29% higher than Iowa on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Maryland?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $24,151 in Maryland for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Maryland safe?
Iowa performs better than Maryland across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Maryland compared to Iowa?
Iowa generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Maryland leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Maryland compared to Iowa?
The average high temperature in Annapolis is 68°F, compared to 60°F in Des Moines. Annapolis receives around 47.3 in of rainfall per year, while Des Moines gets 36.0 in.
