Moving to Iowa from South Korea
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from South Korea to Iowa — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from South Korea to Iowa, you would find that Iowa is 55.7% more expensive than South Korea overall. A ₩111,594,750 salary in South Korea would need to be roughly $83,207 in Iowa to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from South Korea to Iowa.
What does your salary buy?
₩111,594,750 → $83,207
To maintain the same standard of living in Iowa
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 2.0 times more
Groceries
pay 16.5% less
Transportation
pay 10.2% more
Housing
pay 2.2 times more
Childcare
pay 2.1 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 65.1% 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.
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 27% more than cities in South Korea.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from South Korea to Iowa, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from South Korea to United States · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to United States?
Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.
- 10,853,105
- 2,723,764
- 2,184,110
- 2,061,178
- 1,829,251
- 1,410,659
- · · ·
-
11.1,038,778
South Korea
Key Indicator Comparison
How South Korea and Iowa stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
South Korea performs better than Iowa across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
South Korea performs 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
share of people below the poverty line
Iowa generally does better on employment & economy, though South Korea leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
South Korea performs better than Iowa across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Seoul | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 43°/28°F (6°/-2°C) | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 73°/56°F (23°/13°C) | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/70°F (28°/21°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/38°F (12°/4°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Seoul | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.5°C) | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) |
| Feb | 41°/26°F (5.1°/-3.2°C) | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 52°/35°F (11.0°/1.9°C) | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) |
| Apr | 64°/46°F (17.9°/8.0°C) | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) |
| May | 74°/56°F (23.6°/13.5°C) | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) |
| Jun | 82°/66°F (27.6°/18.7°C) | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) |
| Jul | 84°/72°F (29.0°/22.3°C) | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) |
| Aug | 86°/73°F (30.0°/22.9°C) | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) |
| Sep | 79°/64°F (26.2°/17.7°C) | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) |
| Oct | 68°/51°F (20.2°/10.6°C) | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) |
| Nov | 53°/38°F (11.9°/3.5°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) |
| Dec | 40°/26°F (4.2°/-3.4°C) | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) |
Data:
Korea Meteorological Administration,
National Weather Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between South Korea and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.
South Korea passport holder visiting United States
Electronic Travel Authorisation
United States passport holder visiting South Korea
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Iowa than South Korea?
Day-to-day costs in Iowa run about 11% higher than South Korea on average; specific cities can swing further.
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 ₩111,594,750 comparable salary, that's around $20,802 in Iowa for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Iowa?
Working remotely from Iowa's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in South Korea and Iowa.
How is healthcare in Iowa compared to South Korea?
South Korea performs better than Iowa across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Iowa compared to South Korea?
The average high temperature in Des Moines is 60°F, compared to 63°F in Seoul. Des Moines receives around 36.0 in of rainfall per year, while Seoul gets 55.8 in.
What language do they speak in Iowa?
The official language in Iowa is English. In South Korea, the official language is Korean.
