State cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Cost of Living in Iowa
Statewide Regional Price Parities for Iowa from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100, across 8 metro areas.
- 87.8
- Statewide RPP
- #49
- of 51 states by cost
- 65.3
- Rents RPP
- 8
- Metro areas
Iowa ranks #49 of 51 states by cost, and its statewide price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- fell -1.0 points in the 2023-2024 release
- similar cost to Oklahoma
The verdict
Iowa costs less than 96% of U.S. states, a statewide index of 87.8, 12.2% below the national average.
- Rents
- furthest category from 100, at 65.3
- Oklahoma
- closest statewide cost peer, 0.1 points away
- Des Moines-West Des Moines
- highest-cost metro, 91.7
- Sioux City
- lowest-cost metro, 86.5
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $113,945 when earned in Iowa.
Metro areas in Iowa, ranked by cost
| # | Metro area | Overall | Goods | Services | Rents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Moines-West Des Moines | 91.7 | 93.7 | 84.6 | 84.7 |
| 2 | Iowa City | 91.5 | 93.7 | 83.7 | 84.0 |
| 3 | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island | 89.1 | 94.2 | 89.9 | 68.3 |
| 4 | Cedar Rapids | 89.0 | 93.7 | 84.0 | 71.4 |
| 5 | Ames | 88.8 | 93.7 | 83.0 | 69.2 |
| 6 | Dubuque | 87.3 | 93.7 | 81.2 | 64.0 |
| 7 | Waterloo-Cedar Falls | 87.1 | 93.7 | 83.7 | 63.1 |
| 8 | Sioux City | 86.5 | 94.0 | 82.7 | 57.8 |
The Rents RPP index measures housing costs relative to the national average (100). For the federal 40th-percentile Fair Market Rent by bedroom size and county, see the HUD Fair Market Rents dataset.
Reading the Iowa Cost of Living Picture
Iowa sits in an affordability lane closest to Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi. A lower statewide index does not mean every place or budget category is cheap; it means this state belongs with those peers before a household narrows to a metro. Its category range is 28.4 points: large enough to separate housing-sensitive and service-heavy budgets, but not a single-component outlier.
Iowa captures 8 metro areas in the BEA dataset, and the range across them is meaningful. Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA leads on cost at 91.7, while Sioux City, IA-NE-SD sits at the opposite end at 86.5 - a gap of 5.2 index points inside a single state. For goods the state indexes at 93.7, for services 83.3, and for rents 65.3. Rents run 22.4 points below the statewide index here, so housing is what pulls the whole figure down — a household that already owns outright captures much less of that discount than a renter does.
Over time, Iowa's statewide index has held steady within 0.4 points, suggesting a stable competitive position against other states. Practically, this means a $100,000 national salary delivers the purchasing power of about $113,945 of national buying power when earned inside Iowa, and a household relocating here would need roughly $87,762 to reproduce a $100K lifestyle. With 8 reporting metros inside the state, treat this figure as the midpoint of a range rather than a quote for any one address.
Iowa vs every U.S. state
Where this state sits in the national cost distribution
88 Bottom 4% higher than 4% of 51 US states
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Iowa RPP history, 2008–2024
The statewide index has changed by only 0.4 points from 2008 to 2024. The line shows every retained BEA release against the national benchmark of 100; the table preserves the component detail.
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 87.4 |
| 2009 | 89.8 |
| 2010 | 91.1 |
| 2011 | 89.8 |
| 2012 | 90.8 |
| 2013 | 90.9 |
| 2014 | 91.0 |
| 2015 | 89.5 |
| 2016 | 89.4 |
| 2017 | 89.2 |
| 2018 | 91.8 |
| 2019 | 91.8 |
| 2020 | 90.6 |
| 2021 | 89.8 |
| 2022 | 88.4 |
| 2023 | 88.8 |
| 2024 | 87.8 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Iowa's overall RPP fell -1.0 points, from 88.8 in 2023 to 87.8 in 2024. The largest category move was services, changing from 87.3 to 83.3. RPP is a relative price index, so this reports a change against the national benchmark rather than a household's dollar bill.
What this means in Iowa
The statewide index is a starting point, cost varies metro to metro within Iowa.
- Don't rely on the state figure alone: Des Moines-West Des Moines (91.7) and Sioux City (86.5) sit 5 index points apart inside Iowa. Check your specific metro.
- Rents index at 65.3 (34.7% below average) - the largest swing in the RPP. Review the housing line before any relocation decision. Highest rents
- Weighing Iowa against another state? Convert your salary to local purchasing power first. Salary calculator
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark (national average = 100) for the data year shown, pair it with local wages and current rents before deciding.
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Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive rankings, cost of living vs wages, and how BEA constructs RPP data.
States with Similar Cost of Living
These states have RPP indices closest to Iowa, making them useful peers for relocation or budget comparison.
Nationwide states with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Iowa: nearest states by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are labelled nationwide neighborhoods, distinct from the closest-RPP list above.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest states by overall regional price parity (87.8 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest states by rents regional price parity (65.3 here).
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities Index where national average = 100
Frequently Asked Questions
How much cheaper is living in Iowa than the U.S. average?
Iowa has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 87.8, meaning it is 12.2% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.7, services at 83.3, and rents at 65.3.
What salary in Iowa equals $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $87,762 in Iowa. Conversely, $100K earned in Iowa has the purchasing power of $113,945 at the national average.
How much of Iowa's affordability is rents?
Rents in Iowa are indexed at 65.3, which is 34.7% below the national average. The state is relatively affordable for renters.
Which metros stretch Iowa's cost range the widest?
The most expensive metro area in Iowa is Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA with an RPP of 91.7. The most affordable is Sioux City, IA-NE-SD at 86.5. There are 8 metro areas in Iowa with BEA price data.
Is Iowa getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Iowa's overall cost index changed by +0.4 points (from 87.4 to 87.8). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.