Moving to Iowa from United States
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from United States to Iowa — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from United States to Iowa, you would find that Iowa is 12.5% cheaper than United States overall. A $75,000 salary in United States would need to be roughly $52,607 in Iowa to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from United States to Iowa.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $52,607
To maintain the same standard of living in Iowa
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 9.2% less
Groceries
pay 15.5% less
Transportation
pay 19.8% less
Housing
pay 22.9% less
Childcare
pay 17.7% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.7% 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 37% less than cities in United States.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How United States and Iowa stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
United States performs better than Iowa across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
United States 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 United States leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
United States 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 | Washington | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/28°F (9°/-2°C) | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/51°F (24°/11°C) | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/62°F (29°/17°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Washington | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42°/24°F (5.8°/-4.5°C) | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) |
| Feb | 46°/26°F (8.0°/-3.3°C) | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 56°/33°F (13.1°/0.5°C) | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) |
| Apr | 67°/42°F (19.3°/5.6°C) | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) |
| May | 75°/51°F (23.9°/10.7°C) | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) |
| Jun | 84°/61°F (28.8°/16.1°C) | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) |
| Jul | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.6°C) | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) |
| Aug | 87°/64°F (30.3°/17.9°C) | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) |
| Sep | 79°/56°F (26.3°/13.5°C) | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) |
| Oct | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.6°C) | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) |
| Nov | 58°/35°F (14.2°/1.8°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) |
| Dec | 46°/27°F (7.8°/-2.7°C) | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Iowa than United States?
Generally yes: Iowa runs about 30% cheaper than United States 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 $13,152 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 United States and Iowa.
How is healthcare in Iowa compared to United States?
United States performs better than Iowa across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Iowa compared to United States?
The average high temperature in Des Moines is 60°F, compared to 66°F in Washington. Des Moines receives around 36.0 in of rainfall per year, while Washington gets 41.5 in.
What language do they speak in Iowa?
Both United States and Iowa share the same official language: English.
