Moving to Wyoming from Iowa
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Iowa to Wyoming — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Iowa to Wyoming, you would find that Wyoming is 16.6% more expensive than Iowa. A $75,000 salary in Iowa would need to be roughly $87,500 in Wyoming to maintain the same lifestyle. Des Moines and Cheyenne are about 580 mi apart.
Is Wyoming cheaper than Iowa?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 3.9% more
Groceries
pay 14.4% more
Transportation
pay 20.8% more
Housing
pay 28.9% more
Childcare
pay 15.0% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.4% 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 Wyoming?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $87,500
To maintain the same standard of living in Wyoming
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Iowa to Wyoming.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Iowa generally does better on safety, though Wyoming 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
Iowa generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Wyoming 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 generally does better on what about housing?, though Wyoming leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Wyoming performs significantly better than Iowa across all infrastructure metrics.
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
Wyoming 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
Iowa performs better than Wyoming 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 Wyoming vs Iowa
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Des Moines | Cheyenne |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) | 42°/20°F (6°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 65°/40°F (18°/4°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 79°/52°F (26°/11°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 48°/25°F (9°/-4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Des Moines | Cheyenne |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) | 40°/18°F (4.2°/-7.8°C) |
| Feb | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) | 40°/19°F (4.7°/-7.4°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) | 47°/24°F (8.6°/-4.2°C) |
| Apr | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) | 55°/31°F (12.7°/-0.7°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) | 65°/40°F (18.2°/4.6°C) |
| Jun | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) | 75°/49°F (24.1°/9.4°C) |
| Jul | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) | 83°/56°F (28.6°/13.1°C) |
| Aug | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) | 81°/54°F (27.3°/12.3°C) |
| Sep | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) | 72°/45°F (22.1°/7.1°C) |
| Oct | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) | 59°/34°F (14.9°/1.1°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) | 47°/24°F (8.1°/-4.3°C) |
| Dec | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) | 38°/17°F (3.4°/-8.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Wyoming than Iowa?
No — Wyoming is on average about 17% more expensive than Iowa. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Wyoming?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $21,875 in Wyoming on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Wyoming safe?
Iowa generally does better on safety, though Wyoming leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Wyoming compared to Iowa?
Iowa generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Wyoming leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Wyoming compared to Iowa?
The average high temperature in Cheyenne is 58°F, compared to 60°F in Des Moines. Cheyenne receives around 15.9 in of rainfall per year, while Des Moines gets 36.0 in.
