Cost of living comparison
United States is 17.2% more expensive than Iowa.
If you lived in United States instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 13.9% more for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.06
|
$18.02
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.56
|
$10.37
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.17
|
$2.44
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.72
|
$1.98
|
|
pay 14.6% more for groceries
|
Iowa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.57
|
$3.43
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.42
|
$6.30
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.44
|
$3.93
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.96
|
$3.52
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.79
|
$5.12
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.10
|
$2.31
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.64
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.90
|
$2.03
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.09
|
$2.13
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.05
|
$1.32
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.29
|
$1.38
|
|
pay 26.3% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.22
|
$3.61
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.67
|
$65.73
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,291.62
|
$31,580.82
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.84
|
$17.71
|
|
pay 29.9% more for housing
|
Iowa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.69
|
$67.34
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,107.08
|
$1,635.84
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$831.82
|
$1,397.18
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$140.13
|
$148.42
|
|
pay 21.6% more for childcare
|
Iowa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,030.74
|
$1,344.29
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,379.75
|
$23,001.10
|
|
pay 9.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.03
|
$5.73
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.05
|
$4.97
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.26
|
$9.54
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$45.83
|
$51.32
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.12
|
$13.21
|
|
pay 4.5% more for clothing
|
Iowa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$46.34
|
$50.12
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.37
|
$40.92
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.19
|
$85.55
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.97
|
$113.11
|
|
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