Moving to Iowa from Switzerland
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Switzerland to Iowa — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Switzerland to Iowa, you would find that Iowa is 40.0% cheaper than Switzerland overall. A CHF62,000 salary in Switzerland would need to be roughly $45,000 in Iowa to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓Is Iowa cheaper than Switzerland?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 44.7% less
Groceries
pay 23.5% less
Transportation
pay 54.3% less
Housing
pay 37.9% less
Childcare
pay 51.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 32.2% 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.
What salary do you need in Iowa?
What does your salary buy?
CHF62,000 → $45,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Iowa
Calculate with your salary →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 36% less than cities in Switzerland.
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 Switzerland to Iowa, based on official data.
people moved from Switzerland 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
- · · ·
-
94.47,989
Switzerland
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Switzerland to Iowa.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
Switzerland performs better than Iowa across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
Switzerland 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 Switzerland leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
Switzerland performs better than Iowa across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), World Health Organization (2024), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Iowa vs Switzerland
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Zurich | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 41°/30°F (5°/-1°C) | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 62°/45°F (17°/7°C) | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 70°/53°F (21°/12°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 46°/36°F (8°/2°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Zurich | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/27°F (2.0°/-2.8°C) | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) |
| Feb | 40°/29°F (4.2°/-1.9°C) | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 47°/33°F (8.3°/0.6°C) | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) |
| Apr | 55°/39°F (12.6°/3.7°C) | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) |
| May | 63°/46°F (17.3°/7.7°C) | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) |
| Jun | 69°/51°F (20.5°/10.8°C) | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) |
| Jul | 73°/55°F (23.0°/12.8°C) | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) |
| Aug | 72°/54°F (22.0°/12.4°C) | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) |
| Sep | 66°/50°F (18.8°/10.0°C) | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) |
| Oct | 56°/43°F (13.3°/6.2°C) | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) |
| Nov | 44°/35°F (6.9°/1.4°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) |
| Dec | 37°/29°F (2.9°/-1.7°C) | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) |
Data:
MeteoSwiss - Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology,
National Weather Service
Can you move from Switzerland to Iowa?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Switzerland 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.
Switzerland passport holder visiting United States
Electronic Travel Authorisation
United States passport holder visiting Switzerland
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 Switzerland?
Yes — Iowa is on average about 40% cheaper than Switzerland. 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 $11,250 in Iowa on a CHF62,000 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 Switzerland?
Switzerland performs better than Iowa across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Iowa compared to Switzerland?
The average high temperature in Des Moines is 60°F, compared to 55°F in Zurich. Des Moines receives around 36.0 in of rainfall per year, while Zurich gets 42.8 in.
What language do they speak in Iowa?
The official language in Iowa is English. In Switzerland, the official languages are French, Italian, Romansh and Swiss German.
