Moving to Iowa from Spain
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Spain to Iowa — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Spain to Iowa, you would find that Iowa is 34.9% more expensive than Spain overall. A €65,374 salary in Spain would need to be roughly $70,731 in Iowa to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Spain to Iowa.
What does your salary buy?
€65,374 → $70,731
To maintain the same standard of living in Iowa
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 1.8% more
Groceries
pay 32.5% more
Transportation
pay 19.5% less
Housing
pay 39.5% more
Childcare
pay 2.4 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 56.4% 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 5% more than cities in Spain.
Compare cities head-to-head
Get free moving quotes to Iowa
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Spain to Iowa, based on official data.
people moved from Spain 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
- · · ·
-
64.102,633
Spain
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Spain to Iowa.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
Spain performs better than Iowa across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
Spain 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 performs significantly better than Spain across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
Spain 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 | Madrid | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 55°/40°F (13°/4°C) | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/64°F (30°/18°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 58°/44°F (14°/7°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Madrid | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50°/37°F (9.8°/2.7°C) | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) |
| Feb | 54°/39°F (12.0°/3.7°C) | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 61°/43°F (16.3°/6.2°C) | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) |
| Apr | 65°/46°F (18.2°/7.7°C) | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.2°/11.3°C) | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) |
| Jun | 83°/61°F (28.2°/16.1°C) | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) |
| Jul | 90°/66°F (32.1°/19.0°C) | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) |
| Aug | 88°/66°F (31.3°/18.8°C) | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) |
| Sep | 80°/60°F (26.4°/15.4°C) | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) |
| Oct | 67°/51°F (19.4°/10.7°C) | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) |
| Nov | 56°/43°F (13.5°/6.2°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) |
| Dec | 50°/38°F (10.0°/3.6°C) | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) |
Data:
Agencia Estatal de Meteorología,
National Weather Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Spain 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.
Spain passport holder visiting United States
Electronic Travel Authorisation
United States passport holder visiting Spain
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 Spain?
Yes — Iowa is on average about 6% cheaper than Spain. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Iowa?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $17,683 in Iowa on a €65,374 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Iowa?
Usually fine from major cities in Iowa. The harder questions are legal — digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
How is healthcare in Iowa compared to Spain?
Spain performs better than Iowa across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Iowa compared to Spain?
The average high temperature in Des Moines is 60°F, compared to 68°F in Madrid. Des Moines receives around 36.0 in of rainfall per year, while Madrid gets 16.6 in.
What language do they speak in Iowa?
The official language in Iowa is English. In Spain, the official languages are Basque, Catalan, Galician and Spanish.
