Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London, Canada and Iowa City, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Iowa City, IA: $2,251 a month against $2,342 in London, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
109

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

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London

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,342

/mo nomad

Iowa City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,251

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,342 in London versus $2,251 in Iowa City, IA.

London $2,342
Iowa City, IA $2,251

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,356 in London versus $3,264 in Iowa City, IA.

London $3,356
Iowa City, IA $3,264

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,370 in London versus $4,276 in Iowa City, IA.

London $4,370
Iowa City, IA $4,276

Living in London is roughly 4% more expensive than in Iowa City, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 72% above, Iowa City, IA 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.44 CA$29.96

$15.12 $15.12

41.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.9 CA$90.7

$67.3 $67.3

-3.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.45 CA$17.40

$9.03 $9.03

37.87%

Cappuccino

$3.75 CA$5.24

$5.54 $5.54

-32.31%

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

$2.21 CA$3.10

$2.77 $2.77

-20.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 CA$2.98

$2.23 $2.23

-4.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.26 CA$8.74

$4.86 $4.86

28.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.40 CA$8.95

$7.13 $7.13

-10.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 CA$2.64

$0.92 $0.92

105.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.73

$2.79 $2.79

-4.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.07 CA$5.69

$2.02 $2.02

101.49%

Eggs

$3.69 CA$5.15

$3.71 $3.71

-0.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 CA$14.00

$9.43 $9.43

6.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.75 CA$16.42

$10.64 $10.64

10.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.92 CA$20.85

$19.95 $19.95

-25.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 CA$6.12

$3.37 $3.37

29.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.68

$1.22 $1.22

-0.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.79 CA$5.29

$2.65 $2.65

43.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.88

$4.87 $4.87

-13.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.47

$1.98 $1.98

61.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.30

$2.36 $2.36

30.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 CA$3.53

$1.71 $1.71

47.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.16

$2.38 $2.38

-35.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.01 CA$16.79

$10.13 $10.13

18.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 CA$17.73

$13.70 $13.70

-7.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$1.72 $1.72

48.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$4.54 $4.54

-35.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.57

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.3 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 CA$3.42

$3.91 $3.91

-37.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 CA$2.29

$1.97 $1.97

-16.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.15 CA$30.96

$43.67 $43.67

-49.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.75

$0.99 $0.99

26.26%

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

$26.8K CA$37.5K

$27.2K $27.2K

-1.37%

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

$23.2K CA$32.4K

$25.8K $25.8K

-10.14%

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

$139 CA$194

$271 $271

-48.82%

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

$39.22 CA$54.8

$51.5 $51.5

-23.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 CA$79.1

$81.6 $81.6

-30.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.95 CA$50.2

$29.80 $29.80

20.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.81 CA$40.26

$19.65 $19.65

46.62%

Cinema Ticket

$10.83 CA$15.14

$13.86 $13.86

-21.86%

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

$419 CA$586

$1,292 $1,292

-67.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K CA$29.1K

$23.7K $23.7K

-12.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 CA$75.7

$64.4 $64.4

-15.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.94 CA$54.4

$49.68 $49.68

-21.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 CA$113

$98.6 $98.6

-17.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 CA$128

$115 $115

-20.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,323 CA$1,849

$1,242 $1,242

6.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 CA$1,607

$1,003 $1,003

14.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,099 CA$2,933

$1,933 $1,933

8.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 CA$2,349

$1,637 $1,637

2.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,124 CA$5,764

$3,514 $3,514

17.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 CA$4,824

$1,811 $1,811

90.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,052 CA$4,266

$3,822 $3,822

-20.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

6.45

-26.82%

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

Last update for London: October 26, 2026

Last update for Iowa City, IA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$1.1K 49.1%

Iowa City, IA

$1K 44.6% 12.8% $147

Groceries & Markets

London

$364 15.5%

Iowa City, IA

$352 15.6% 3.4% $12

Eating Out

London

$315 13.5%

Iowa City, IA

$273 12.1% 13.4% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$235 10%

Iowa City, IA

$404 18% 72.3% $170

Clothing & Footwear

London

$119 5.1%

Iowa City, IA

$147 6.6% 23.4% $28

Getting Around

London

$101 4.3%

Iowa City, IA

$14 * 0.6% 86.4% $87

Sport & Entertainment

London

$58 2.5%

Iowa City, IA

$58 2.6% 0.2% $0.1

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 $1,323 in London and $1,242 in Iowa City, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iowa City, IA pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $65 in London vs $67 in Iowa City, IA. Groceries flip the comparison at $364 vs $352, with Iowa City, IA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 London

🇺🇸 Iowa City, IA

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

16:45 4:45 PM

1 h behind London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

383,822

74,828

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

London
Iowa City, IA

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

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

Iowa City, IA is about 4% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in London. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,323 in London versus $1,242 in Iowa City, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $419 in London versus $1,292 in Iowa City, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in London – a meal for two runs $65 versus $67 in Iowa City, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, London and Iowa City, IA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.