Moving from Tennessee to Iowa
Tennessee to Iowa is a move of about 723 miles. Median rent is $972 a month in Iowa and $1,189 in Tennessee, and the median home is $208,000 against $286,700. Tennessee has no state income tax, against a flat 3.80% in Iowa. Property tax runs 1.39% of home value in Iowa and 0.50% in Tennessee.
Moving to Iowa costs
About the same
Tennessee and Iowa work out within $50/mo of each other, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
A cheaper house in Iowa, a bigger property tax bill
The median home in Iowa costs $208,000 against $286,700 in Tennessee, but you would pay about $2,891 a year in property tax rather than $1,434. The rate more than cancels the lower price.
Tennessee vs Iowa at a glance
| Tennessee | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $286,700 | $208,000 |
| Median rent | $1,189/mo | $972/mo |
| State income tax | No state income tax | Flat 3.80% |
| Property tax rate | 0.50% | 1.39% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 96 | 94 |
| Utilities | 72 | 83 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
Monthly cost of living: Tennessee vs Iowa
| Monthly | TN | IA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,189 | $972 | -$217 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $0 | $202 | +$202 |
| Local income tax (state average) | None | $7 | +$7 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $99 | $84 | -$15 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,765 | $1,718 | -$47 |
| Utilities | $295 | $340 | +$45 |
| Total | -$25 | ||
Cost to move from Tennessee to Iowa
$1,900 to $4,400
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $500 to $750, against roughly $200 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 2-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Nashville is not Tennessee-average and Des Moines is not Iowa-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
What jobs pay in Iowa, after the cost of living
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.