Cost of Living by State
Cost of Living in Iowa
See how housing, childcare, and taxes add up in Iowa. These numbers are based on recent public data and summarized into simple indexes where the U.S. average equals 100.
Cost of living in Iowa at a glance
The figures below are pulled automatically from the same dataset that powers the Cost of Living Calculator. Use this page for a quick overview, then dive deeper with the full calculator to compare specific cities, counties, and ZIP codes.
Overall Cost of Living Index
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U.S. = 100. Above 100 is more expensive than the national average.
Housing Cost Index
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Based on median home value and rent vs. the U.S. average.
Typical Home Value
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Median home value for the state.
Tax Burden Index
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Simplified view of sales and income tax compared to the U.S. average.
Loading latest data for Iowa…
For a deeper breakdown of cities, counties, and ZIP codes in Iowa, use the Cost of Living Calculator, the Income Percentile Calculator, and the Monthly Budget Calculator.
How Iowa compares to the U.S.
All indexes use the U.S. as a baseline of 100. So if Iowa has a housing index of 120, housing costs are roughly 20% higher than the national average. If the overall cost of living index is 90, life in Iowa is typically about 10% cheaper than the U.S. as a whole.
Use this page as a quick snapshot. When you're seriously considering a move, plug your actual income and expenses into the Monthly Budget Calculator, then pair it with local housing and childcare numbers from the Cost of Living Calculator.
Major cities in Iowa
Explore city-level cost of living details in Iowa. These pages let you drill into housing, childcare, and taxes for specific cities.