Cost of living comparison

compared to
Switzerland vs. Iowa Cost of Living Summary

Switzerland is 76.9% more expensive than Iowa.

Restaurants
pay 2.0 times more in Switzerland
Groceries
pay 51.8% more in Switzerland
Transportation
pay 2.3 times more in Switzerland
Housing
pay 30.2% more in Switzerland
Childcare
pay 2.0 times more in Switzerland
Entertainment and Sports
pay 37.9% more in Switzerland
Clothing
pay 82.2% more in Switzerland

The cost of transportation, restaurants, childcare, clothing, groceries, and entertainment and sports in Switzerland are more expensive than in Iowa. Notably, transportation, restaurants, and childcare are significantly more expensive in Switzerland.

Switzerland vs. Iowa Cost Breakdown

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

pay 2.0 times more for restaurants

 
Iowa
Switzerland
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $15.50
 
$27.66
CHF25.14
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.86
 
$16.97
CHF15.42
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.25
 
$4.67
CHF4.25

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pay 51.8% more for groceries

 
Iowa
Switzerland
Bread
1 loaf
$2.75
 
$3.64
CHF3.31
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.26
 
$13.22
CHF12.01
Milk (1 gallon) $3.55
 
$7.31
CHF6.64

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pay 2.3 times more for transportation

 
Iowa
Switzerland
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.26
 
$7.83
CHF7.12
Monthly public transit pass $41.60
 
$114.11
CHF103.69
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $28,209.92
 
$36,806.66
CHF33,443.89

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pay 30.2% more for housing

 
Iowa
Switzerland
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$68.83
 
$53.46
CHF48.57
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,149.79
 
$1,622.75
CHF1,474.49
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $848.38
 
$1,411.84
CHF1,282.85

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pay 2.0 times more for childcare

 
Iowa
Switzerland
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,043.98
 
$2,587.05
CHF2,350.69
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $19,039.50
 
$30,321.56
CHF27,551.29

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pay 37.9% more for entertainment and sports

 
Iowa
Switzerland
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $4.95
 
$7.82
CHF7.11
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.14
 
$5.42
CHF4.92
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$8.68
 
$10.09
CHF9.17

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pay 82.2% more for clothing

 
Iowa
Switzerland
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$50.44
 
$121.70
CHF110.58
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$39.50
 
$61.65
CHF56.02
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$83.35
 
$136.06
CHF123.63

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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: January 2025
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