Moving to Iowa from Kentucky
What to Expect
Considering a move from Kentucky to Iowa? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Kentucky to Iowa, you would find that Iowa is 2.6% cheaper than Kentucky. A $75,000 salary in Kentucky would need to be roughly $73,100 in Iowa to maintain the same lifestyle. Louisville and Des Moines are about 480 mi apart.
Is Iowa cheaper than Kentucky?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 15.5% more
Groceries
pay 5.2% less
Transportation
pay 5.5% less
Housing
pay 5.8% less
Childcare
pay 21.4% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 18.8% 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.
What salary do you need in Iowa?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $73,100
To maintain the same standard of living in Iowa
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Iowa compared to Kentucky.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Kentucky generally does better on safety, though Iowa leads in property 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 Kentucky leads in adult obesity rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Kentucky generally does better on what about housing?, though Iowa leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Iowa performs significantly better than Kentucky 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
Iowa performs significantly better than Kentucky 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 performs significantly better than Kentucky 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 Iowa vs Kentucky
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Louisville | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 50°/32°F (10°/0°C) | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 77°/57°F (25°/14°C) | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/66°F (30°/19°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 58°/40°F (14°/4°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Louisville | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43°/27°F (6.1°/-2.9°C) | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) |
| Feb | 48°/30°F (8.8°/-1.2°C) | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 58°/38°F (14.4°/3.2°C) | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) |
| Apr | 69°/47°F (20.4°/8.5°C) | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) |
| May | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.9°C) | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) |
| Jun | 85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C) | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) |
| Jul | 89°/70°F (31.5°/21.1°C) | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) |
| Aug | 88°/69°F (31.3°/20.3°C) | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) |
| Sep | 82°/60°F (27.5°/15.8°C) | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) |
| Oct | 70°/49°F (21.2°/9.4°C) | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) |
| Nov | 58°/40°F (14.4°/4.2°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) |
| Dec | 46°/30°F (7.7°/-1.1°C) | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Iowa than Kentucky?
On average Iowa is about 3% less expensive than Kentucky, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Iowa?
Budget about $18,275 for 3 months in Iowa (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Iowa safe?
Kentucky generally does better on safety, though Iowa leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Iowa compared to Kentucky?
Iowa generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kentucky leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Iowa compared to Kentucky?
The average high temperature in Des Moines is 60°F, compared to 68°F in Louisville. Des Moines receives around 36.0 in of rainfall per year, while Louisville gets 44.9 in.
