Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and London

For one person, living costs are similar in Iowa City, IA and in London: $2,368 and $2,300 a month, rent and utilities included.

114

Cost of Living Index in Iowa City, IA
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Iowa City, IA Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Iowa City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,368

/mo nomad

London

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,300

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iowa City, IA and in London

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Iowa City, IA and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,368 in Iowa City, IA versus $2,300 in London.

Iowa City, IA $2,368
London $2,300

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,367 in Iowa City, IA versus $3,321 in London.

Iowa City, IA $3,367
London $3,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,366 in Iowa City, IA versus $4,341 in London.

Iowa City, IA $4,366
London $4,341

Living in Iowa City, IA is roughly 3% more expensive than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Iowa City, IA 75% above, London 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.24 $14.24

$20.81 CA$29.42

-31.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 $68.1

$62.0 CA$87.7

9.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 $8.74

$12.35 CA$17.47

-29.23%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$3.82 CA$5.41

51.31%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.10 CA$2.98

31.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.15 CA$3.04

0.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 $4.90

$6.39 CA$9.03

-23.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$6.21 CA$8.77

9.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.86 CA$2.63

-55.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.57 CA$3.64

7.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$4.00 CA$5.65

-49.50%

Eggs

$3.60 $3.60

$3.67 CA$5.19

-1.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 $9.51

$10.08 CA$14.25

-5.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 $10.32

$11.45 CA$16.19

-9.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.56 $20.56

$14.74 CA$20.84

39.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$4.31 CA$6.09

-22.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.17 CA$1.66

5.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$3.77 CA$5.33

-27.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$4.06 CA$5.74

19.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$3.16 CA$4.46

-35.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$3.06 CA$4.33

-22.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.49 CA$3.52

-31.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.47 CA$2.08

65.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.79 $8.79

$12.08 CA$17.08

-27.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.27 $13.27

$12.41 CA$17.55

6.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.46 CA$3.48

-28.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.78 CA$3.93

55.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.34 CA$3.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.96 $15.96

$79.0 CA$112

-79.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.42 CA$3.42

64.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.67 CA$2.36

19.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.23 $43.23

$22.36 CA$31.61

93.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.19 CA$1.68

-15.97%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.0K $36.0K

$27.4K CA$38.7K

31.54%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.2K $25.2K

$22.9K CA$32.4K

10.03%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$266 $266

$138 CA$195

92.38%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$53.3 $53.3

$39.00 CA$55.1

36.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.9 $81.9

$55.7 CA$78.8

47.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.68 $48.68

$37.53 CA$53.1

29.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.82 $19.82

$28.91 CA$40.87

-31.44%

Cinema Ticket

$13.74 $13.74

$10.40 CA$14.70

32.12%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,285 $1,285

$410 CA$580

213.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$20.4K CA$28.8K

16.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 $64.3

$52.8 CA$74.6

21.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 $50.1

$38.41 CA$54.3

30.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$82.2 CA$116

22.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$88.7 CA$125

27.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 $1,179

$1,241 CA$1,754

-4.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 $1,096

$1,125 CA$1,590

-2.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,297 $2,297

$2,042 CA$2,887

12.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 $1,671

$1,700 CA$2,404

-1.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,825 $3,825

$3,473 CA$4,910

10.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,963 $1,963

$3,551 CA$5,020

-44.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,701 $3,701

$2,866 CA$4,051

29.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.72

36.65%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Iowa City, IA: October 11, 2026

Last update for London: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Iowa City, IA

$1.1K 46.3%

London

$1.1K 48.9% 2.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iowa City, IA

$401 16.9%

London

$233 10.1% 41.9% $168

Groceries & Markets

Iowa City, IA

$350 14.8%

London

$357 15.5% 1.8% $6.3

Eating Out

Iowa City, IA

$267 11.3%

London

$311 13.5% 16.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Iowa City, IA

$148 6.2%

London

$118 5.1% 20% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Iowa City, IA

$76 3.2%

London

$58 2.5% 23.4% $18

Getting Around

Iowa City, IA

$30 * 1.3%

London

$99 4.3% 232% $69

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Iowa City, IA and $1,241 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iowa City, IA pays 29% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Iowa City, IA vs $62.0 in London. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $357, with Iowa City, IA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Iowa City, IA

🇨🇦 London

🕒 Local time

12:50 12:50 PM

13:50 1:50 PM

1 h ahead of Iowa City, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,828

383,822

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Iowa City, IA London 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Iowa City, IA
London

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Iowa City, IA vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, utilities, and leisure. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Iowa City, IA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Iowa City, IA versus $1,241 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in London runs roughly 395% less than in Iowa City, IA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,285 in Iowa City, IA versus $410 in London. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,300 in London versus $2,368 in Iowa City, IA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in London but tight or insufficient in Iowa City, IA. The gap between the two cities makes London the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, London is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Iowa City, IA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Iowa City, IA and London are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find London gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Iowa City, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.