Moving to Minnesota from Iowa
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Iowa to Minnesota — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Iowa to Minnesota, you would find that Minnesota is 11.9% more expensive than Iowa. A $75,000 salary in Iowa would need to be roughly $84,213 in Minnesota to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Iowa to Minnesota.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $84,213
To maintain the same standard of living in Minnesota
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 8.3% more
Groceries
pay 18.3% more
Transportation
pay 27.1% more
Housing
pay 11.8% more
Childcare
pay 14.4% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.1% 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 Minnesota 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 generally does better on safety, though Minnesota leads in violent 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
Minnesota 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 generally does better on what about housing?, though Minnesota leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Iowa generally does better on infrastructure, though Minnesota 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
Minnesota 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
Minnesota 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 | Saint Paul |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) | 32°/16°F (0°/-9°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 69°/50°F (21°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 79°/60°F (26°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 43°/27°F (6°/-3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Des Moines | Saint Paul |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) | 25°/9°F (-4.1°/-12.6°C) |
| Feb | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) | 30°/14°F (-1.3°/-9.9°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) | 42°/26°F (5.5°/-3.6°C) |
| Apr | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) | 58°/39°F (14.7°/3.9°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) | 70°/50°F (21.2°/10.0°C) |
| Jun | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) | 79°/60°F (26.0°/15.4°C) |
| Jul | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) | 83°/65°F (28.5°/18.1°C) |
| Aug | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) | 81°/62°F (27.1°/16.8°C) |
| Sep | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) | 72°/53°F (22.2°/11.7°C) |
| Oct | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) | 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.7°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) | 42°/28°F (5.6°/-2.4°C) |
| Dec | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) | 28°/14°F (-2.5°/-10.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Minnesota than Iowa?
Day-to-day costs in Minnesota run about 12% higher than Iowa on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Minnesota?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $21,053 in Minnesota for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Minnesota safe?
Iowa generally does better on safety, though Minnesota leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Minnesota compared to Iowa?
Minnesota performs significantly better than Iowa across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Minnesota compared to Iowa?
The average high temperature in Saint Paul is 56°F, compared to 60°F in Des Moines. Saint Paul receives around 28.5 in of rainfall per year, while Des Moines gets 36.0 in.
