Moving to Iowa from New Jersey
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from New Jersey to Iowa — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from New Jersey to Iowa, you would find that Iowa is 31.2% cheaper than New Jersey. A $75,000 salary in New Jersey would need to be roughly $51,600 in Iowa to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from New Jersey to Iowa.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $51,600
To maintain the same standard of living in Iowa
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 8.0% less
Groceries
pay 25.3% less
Transportation
pay 30.6% less
Housing
pay 45.5% less
Childcare
pay 33.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 13.2% 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 Iowa cost about 25% less than cities in New Jersey.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How New Jersey and Iowa 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
New Jersey 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
New Jersey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Iowa leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Iowa performs significantly better than New Jersey across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
New Jersey generally does better on infrastructure, though Iowa leads in average commute.
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
New Jersey 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
New Jersey performs 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
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Trenton | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C) | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 71°/51°F (22°/10°C) | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/36°F (12°/2°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Trenton | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°/23°F (3.9°/-4.9°C) | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) |
| Feb | 42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.4°C) | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 51°/32°F (10.5°/-0.1°C) | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) |
| Apr | 61°/41°F (16.3°/5.0°C) | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) |
| May | 72°/51°F (22.1°/10.3°C) | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) |
| Jun | 81°/60°F (27.1°/15.7°C) | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) |
| Jul | 85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C) | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) |
| Aug | 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.9°C) | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) |
| Sep | 76°/56°F (24.5°/13.6°C) | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) |
| Oct | 65°/44°F (18.3°/6.8°C) | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) |
| Nov | 54°/37°F (12.5°/2.7°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) |
| Dec | 43°/28°F (6.2°/-2.4°C) | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Iowa than New Jersey?
Generally yes: Iowa runs about 31% cheaper than New Jersey on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Iowa?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $12,900 in Iowa for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Iowa safe?
New Jersey generally does better on safety, though Iowa leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Iowa compared to New Jersey?
New Jersey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Iowa leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Iowa compared to New Jersey?
The average high temperature in Des Moines is 60°F, compared to 63°F in Trenton. Des Moines receives around 36.0 in of rainfall per year, while Trenton gets 46.5 in.
