Cost of living comparison

 Arizona, USA
compared to
 Iowa, USA
Iowa vs. Arizona Cost of Living Summary

Iowa is 2.4% cheaper than Arizona.

Restaurants
pay 16.4% less in Iowa
Groceries
pay 3.4% more in Iowa
Transportation
pay 11.3% less in Iowa
Housing
pay 26.1% less in Iowa
Childcare
pay 27.2% more in Iowa
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.2% more in Iowa
Clothing
pay 2.7% less in Iowa

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Iowa are more expensive than in Arizona. Expenses including housing, restaurants, transportation, and clothing are lower in Iowa.

Iowa vs. Arizona Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Iowa instead of Arizona, you would:

pay 16.4% less for restaurants

 
Arizona
Iowa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $19.56
 
$15.50
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.75
 
$9.86
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.58
 
$2.25
 

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pay 3.4% more for groceries

 
Arizona
Iowa
Bread
1 loaf
$3.49
 
$2.75
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.20
 
$5.26
 
Milk (1 gallon) $3.50
 
$3.55
 

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pay 11.3% less for transportation

 
Arizona
Iowa
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.79
 
$3.26
 
Monthly public transit pass $53.40
 
$41.60
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $31,537.50
 
$28,209.92
 

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pay 26.1% less for housing

 
Arizona
Iowa
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$80.87
 
$68.83
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,573.68
 
$1,149.79
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,370.59
 
$848.38
 

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pay 27.2% more for childcare

 
Arizona
Iowa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,069.58
 
$1,043.98
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $12,135.00
 
$19,039.50
 

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pay 9.2% more for entertainment and sports

 
Arizona
Iowa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.76
 
$4.95
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.21
 
$5.14
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$9.94
 
$8.68
 

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pay 2.7% less for clothing

 
Arizona
Iowa
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$52.15
 
$50.44
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$41.56
 
$39.50
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$86.98
 
$83.35
 

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: April 2025
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