Moving to Iowa from New York
What to Expect
Considering a move from New York to Iowa? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from New York to Iowa, you would find that Iowa is 19.2% cheaper than New York. A $75,000 salary in New York would need to be roughly $57,191 in Iowa to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between New York and Iowa.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $57,191
To maintain the same standard of living in Iowa
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 8.6% less
Groceries
pay 22.2% less
Transportation
pay 27.1% less
Housing
pay 31.0% less
Childcare
pay 29.9% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 14.4% 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.
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 23% less than cities in New York.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Iowa compared to New York.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Iowa performs significantly better than New York 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
New York 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 York across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
New York 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 York 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 York performs better than Iowa across all family life metrics.
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 | Albany | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C) | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 78°/58°F (26°/14°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Albany | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C) | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) |
| Feb | 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C) | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C) | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) |
| Apr | 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C) | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) |
| May | 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C) | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) |
| Jun | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C) | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) |
| Jul | 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C) | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) |
| Aug | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C) | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) |
| Sep | 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C) | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) |
| Oct | 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C) | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) |
| Dec | 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°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 York?
On average Iowa is about 24% less expensive than New York, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Iowa?
Budget about $14,298 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?
Iowa performs significantly better than New York across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Iowa compared to New York?
New York generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Iowa leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Iowa compared to New York?
The average high temperature in Des Moines is 60°F, compared to 58°F in Albany. Des Moines receives around 36.0 in of rainfall per year, while Albany gets 39.4 in.
