Moving to Massachusetts from Iowa
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Iowa to Massachusetts — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Iowa to Massachusetts, you would find that Massachusetts is 42.2% more expensive than Iowa. A $75,000 salary in Iowa would need to be roughly $107,000 in Massachusetts to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Iowa to Massachusetts.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $107,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Massachusetts
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 15.8% more
Groceries
pay 26.2% more
Transportation
pay 28.6% more
Housing
pay 87.4% more
Childcare
pay 69.6% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.5% 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 Massachusetts cost about 35% more than cities in Iowa.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Iowa to Massachusetts.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Iowa generally does better on safety, though Massachusetts leads in property crime rate.
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
Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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
Massachusetts 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
Massachusetts performs significantly better than Iowa across all family life metrics.
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
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Des Moines | Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) | 40°/26°F (4°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 66°/50°F (19°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 78°/62°F (25°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 51°/38°F (11°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Des Moines | Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.4°C) |
| Feb | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) | 39°/25°F (3.7°/-4.1°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) | 45°/31°F (7.4°/-0.5°C) |
| Apr | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) | 56°/41°F (13.1°/4.8°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) | 66°/50°F (18.9°/9.9°C) |
| Jun | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) | 76°/60°F (24.4°/15.3°C) |
| Jul | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) | 81°/65°F (27.4°/18.6°C) |
| Aug | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) | 80°/65°F (26.4°/18.1°C) |
| Sep | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) | 72°/57°F (22.4°/14.1°C) |
| Oct | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) | 61°/47°F (16.3°/8.1°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) | 51°/38°F (10.8°/3.3°C) |
| Dec | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) | 41°/28°F (5.1°/-2.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Massachusetts than Iowa?
No — Massachusetts is on average about 42% more expensive than Iowa. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Massachusetts?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $26,750 in Massachusetts on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Massachusetts safe?
Iowa generally does better on safety, though Massachusetts leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Massachusetts compared to Iowa?
Massachusetts performs significantly better than Iowa across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Massachusetts compared to Iowa?
The average high temperature in Boston is 59°F, compared to 60°F in Des Moines. Boston receives around 43.8 in of rainfall per year, while Des Moines gets 36.0 in.
