Moving to New Hampshire from Iowa

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Iowa to New Hampshire — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Iowa to New Hampshire, you would find that New Hampshire is 19.0% more expensive than Iowa. A $75,000 salary in Iowa would need to be roughly $95,245 in New Hampshire to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Iowa to New Hampshire.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $95,245

To maintain the same standard of living in New Hampshire

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 12.0% more

Groceries

pay 20.0% more

Transportation

pay 19.2% more

Housing

pay 44.2% more

Childcare

pay 29.6% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 8.3% more

See full cost of living breakdown

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 New Hampshire stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

IA
277
NH
106
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

IA
1427
NH
881

New Hampshire performs significantly better than Iowa across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

IA
4.7%
NH
5.4%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

IA
38.7%
NH
31.1%

New Hampshire generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Iowa leads in uninsured rate.

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

IA
$195,900
NH
$367,200
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

IA
$949
NH
$1,423

Iowa generally does better on what about housing?, though New Hampshire leads in homeownership rate.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

IA
87.9%
NH
92.0%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

IA
20 min
NH
27 min

Iowa generally does better on infrastructure, though New Hampshire leads in internet access.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

IA
3.3%
NH
3.0%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

IA
$63,747
NH
$67,069

New Hampshire performs significantly better than Iowa across all employment & economy metrics.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

IA
77.5 yrs
NH
79.0 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

IA
20%
NH
28%

New Hampshire 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.

Des Moines Rain: 36.0 in/yr (915 mm)
60° / 41°F

Avg. annual high / low

Concord Rain: 40.6 in/yr (1032 mm)
58° / 35°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Des Moines Concord
Jan–Mar 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) 37°/15°F (2°/-9°C)
Apr–Jun 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) 68°/43°F (20°/6°C)
Jul–Sep 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) 79°/54°F (26°/12°C)
Oct–Dec 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) 48°/27°F (9°/-3°C)
View all months
Month Des Moines Concord
Jan 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) 31°/10°F (-0.7°/-12.0°C)
Feb 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) 35°/14°F (1.6°/-10.1°C)
Mar 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) 44°/22°F (6.6°/-5.3°C)
Apr 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) 57°/33°F (14.1°/0.4°C)
May 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) 69°/43°F (20.5°/5.9°C)
Jun 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) 77°/53°F (25.2°/11.4°C)
Jul 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) 82°/58°F (27.9°/14.3°C)
Aug 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) 81°/56°F (27.2°/13.4°C)
Sep 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) 73°/47°F (22.6°/8.6°C)
Oct 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) 60°/36°F (15.8°/2.1°C)
Nov 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) 48°/28°F (9.1°/-2.1°C)
Dec 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) 36°/17°F (2.4°/-8.2°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in New Hampshire than Iowa?

Day-to-day costs in New Hampshire run about 27% higher than Iowa on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to New Hampshire?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $23,811 in New Hampshire for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is New Hampshire safe?

New Hampshire performs significantly better than Iowa across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in New Hampshire compared to Iowa?

New Hampshire generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Iowa leads in uninsured rate.

What's the weather like in New Hampshire compared to Iowa?

The average high temperature in Concord is 58°F, compared to 60°F in Des Moines. Concord receives around 40.6 in of rainfall per year, while Des Moines gets 36.0 in.

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