Moving to Iowa from Utah
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Utah to Iowa — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Utah to Iowa, you would find that Iowa is 10.5% cheaper than Utah. A $75,000 salary in Utah would need to be roughly $67,100 in Iowa to maintain the same lifestyle. Salt Lake City and Des Moines are about 950 mi apart.
Is Iowa cheaper than Utah?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 3.9% more
Groceries
pay 0.7% more
Transportation
pay 26.7% less
Housing
pay 18.8% less
Childcare
pay 0.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.8% 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.
What salary do you need in Iowa?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $67,100
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 3% less than cities in Utah.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Utah to Iowa.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Utah generally does better on safety, though Iowa leads in property crime rate.
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
Utah 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 Utah across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Utah 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
Utah 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
Utah performs better than Iowa across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Iowa vs Utah
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Salt Lake City | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 45°/27°F (7°/-3°C) | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 87°/60°F (31°/16°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/32°F (10°/0°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Salt Lake City | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37°/22°F (3.0°/-5.8°C) | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) |
| Feb | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-3.8°C) | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 54°/34°F (12.1°/0.9°C) | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) |
| Apr | 62°/40°F (16.4°/4.2°C) | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) |
| May | 72°/48°F (22.2°/8.8°C) | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) |
| Jun | 83°/56°F (28.3°/13.6°C) | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) |
| Jul | 93°/65°F (33.7°/18.2°C) | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) |
| Aug | 90°/63°F (32.5°/17.4°C) | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) |
| Sep | 79°/53°F (26.2°/11.7°C) | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) |
| Oct | 65°/41°F (18.2°/5.2°C) | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) |
| Nov | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.8°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) |
| Dec | 38°/23°F (3.3°/-5.2°C) | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Iowa than Utah?
Yes — Iowa is on average about 10% cheaper than Utah. 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 $16,775 in Iowa on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Iowa safe?
Utah generally does better on safety, though Iowa leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Iowa compared to Utah?
Utah generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Iowa leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Iowa compared to Utah?
The average high temperature in Des Moines is 60°F, compared to 64°F in Salt Lake City. Des Moines receives around 36.0 in of rainfall per year, while Salt Lake City gets 16.1 in.
