Real Dollar Value
Iowa stretches $100 further
A national-average $100 buys about $111.93 of local goods and services in Iowa, compared with $104.29 in Illinois.
Purchasing Power of $100 Comparison
Income
Illinois vs Iowa: Purchasing Power of $100
$100 goes further in Iowa: about $111.93 in local buying power versus $104.29 in Illinois, a $7.64 gap.
Illinois
IL • Midwest
$104.29
Real local value of $100 after adjusting for BEA Regional Price Parities.
Iowa
IA • Midwest
$111.93
Real local value of $100 after adjusting for BEA Regional Price Parities.
Visual Comparison
Illinois
$104.29
Iowa
$111.93
Difference: $8 — Iowa leads.
Safety Context
Economic and demographic factors behind the violent crime rate difference.
Safety
BEA Price Index
Iowa has the lower official price level
BEA Regional Price Parity is lower in Iowa (90.4) than in Illinois (97.6), which is why the same cash buys more there.
View detailed comparisonIncome Check
Illinois has the higher median income
Purchasing power does not replace income. Illinois has a median household income of $78,433, versus $70,571 in Iowa.
View detailed comparisonLiving Costs
Iowa also looks cheaper on the cost index
Iowa's cost-of-living index is 91.0, compared with 95.2 in the other state.
View detailed comparisonRelated Pages
What This Means
Illinois vs Iowa: Purchasing Power of $100 in context
Iowa has a purchasing power of $100 of $111.93, compared with $104.29 in Illinois. Real local value of $100 after adjusting for BEA Regional Price Parities.
Illinois
$104.29
Iowa
$111.93
Difference
$8
People Also Ask
Illinois vs Iowa Purchasing Power of $100 — Common Questions
Q What is Illinois's purchasing power of $100?
Illinois's purchasing power of $100 is $104.29.
Q What is Iowa's purchasing power of $100?
Iowa's purchasing power of $100 is $111.93.
Q Which state has a higher purchasing power of $100 — Illinois or Iowa?
$100 goes further in Iowa: about $111.93 in local buying power versus $104.29 in Illinois, a $7.64 gap.
More Comparisons: Illinois vs Iowa
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Sources: Core demographic data comes from the 2020 U.S. Census, with land area from U.S. Census Bureau TIGER files. Income, housing, affordability, and tax fields are maintained in our comparison dataset; purchasing-power figures use BEA Regional Price Parities. Minimum wage data comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, gas prices from AAA, and electricity rates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Political control and election fields use 2024 presidential results together with National Conference of State Legislatures data. Gun-law labels use the Giffords scorecard, alcohol system data comes from NABCA, and marijuana status uses NCSL's state cannabis laws tracker.