Moving to Vermont from Iowa
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Iowa to Vermont — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Iowa to Vermont, you would find that Vermont is 16.0% more expensive than Iowa. A $75,000 salary in Iowa would need to be roughly $87,000 in Vermont to maintain the same lifestyle. Des Moines and Burlington are about 1,050 mi apart.
Is Vermont cheaper than Iowa?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 12.6% more
Groceries
pay 7.4% more
Transportation
pay 19.5% more
Housing
pay 31.9% more
Childcare
pay 46.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.9% 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.
What salary do you need in Vermont?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $87,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Vermont
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
How Iowa and Vermont 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 Vermont 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
Vermont 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 Vermont 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 Vermont 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
Vermont generally does better on employment & economy, though Iowa leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Vermont 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
Weather in Vermont vs Iowa
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Des Moines | Burlington |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) | 33°/15°F (0°/-10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 66°/45°F (19°/7°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 77°/56°F (25°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 45°/29°F (7°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Des Moines | Burlington |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) | 27°/10°F (-2.7°/-12.1°C) |
| Feb | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) | 31°/13°F (-0.8°/-10.8°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) | 40°/22°F (4.4°/-5.6°C) |
| Apr | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) | 55°/35°F (12.6°/1.6°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) | 67°/45°F (19.6°/7.4°C) |
| Jun | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) | 76°/55°F (24.6°/12.9°C) |
| Jul | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) | 81°/60°F (27.2°/15.7°C) |
| Aug | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) | 79°/58°F (26.1°/14.7°C) |
| Sep | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) | 70°/51°F (21.3°/10.4°C) |
| Oct | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) | 57°/39°F (14.0°/3.9°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) | 46°/31°F (7.5°/-0.6°C) |
| Dec | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) | 33°/18°F (0.7°/-7.5°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Vermont than Iowa?
Day-to-day costs in Vermont run about 16% higher than Iowa on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Vermont?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $21,750 in Vermont for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Vermont safe?
Iowa generally does better on safety, though Vermont leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Vermont compared to Iowa?
Vermont performs significantly better than Iowa across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Vermont compared to Iowa?
The average high temperature in Burlington is 55°F, compared to 60°F in Des Moines. Burlington receives around 36.8 in of rainfall per year, while Des Moines gets 36.0 in.
