Moving to North Carolina from Iowa
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Iowa to North Carolina — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Iowa to North Carolina, you would find that North Carolina is 14.7% more expensive than Iowa. A $75,000 salary in Iowa would need to be roughly $88,359 in North Carolina to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Iowa to North Carolina.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $88,359
To maintain the same standard of living in North Carolina
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Groceries
pay 25.8% more
Transportation
pay 26.7% more
Housing
pay 24.4% more
Childcare
pay 19.9% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.7% 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.
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 North Carolina cost about 20% more than cities in Iowa.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Iowa and North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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
Iowa performs better than North Carolina 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 generally does better on family life, though North Carolina 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 | Asheville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) | 52°/32°F (11°/0°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 75°/53°F (24°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 58°/38°F (15°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Des Moines | Asheville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) | 47°/28°F (8.1°/-2.4°C) |
| Feb | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) | 50°/31°F (10.2°/-0.6°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) | 58°/37°F (14.4°/2.9°C) |
| Apr | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) | 67°/45°F (19.7°/7.3°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) | 75°/53°F (23.9°/11.7°C) |
| Jun | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) | 82°/61°F (27.6°/16.1°C) |
| Jul | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) | 85°/65°F (29.3°/18.1°C) |
| Aug | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) | 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.7°C) |
| Sep | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.8°C) |
| Oct | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) | 68°/46°F (19.9°/7.9°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) | 58°/38°F (14.7°/3.1°C) |
| Dec | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-0.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in North Carolina than Iowa?
Day-to-day costs in North Carolina run about 18% higher than Iowa on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to North Carolina?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $22,090 in North Carolina for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is North Carolina safe?
Iowa performs better than North Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in North Carolina compared to Iowa?
Iowa generally does better on health & wellbeing, though North Carolina leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in North Carolina compared to Iowa?
The average high temperature in Asheville is 67°F, compared to 60°F in Des Moines. Asheville receives around 37.0 in of rainfall per year, while Des Moines gets 36.0 in.
