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What does a Cooks, Restaurant salary really buy you in Iowa?
Iowa is 11.6% cheaper than the US averageData: BLS OEWS 2025 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-05-19
Iowa's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 88.4, meaning prices are 11.6% lower the national average. A Cooks, Restaurant earning $35,670 in Iowa has the equivalent purchasing power of $40,350 in an average-cost US state.
Every dollar goes further in low-cost states. Here is how each salary percentile compares after adjusting for Iowa's cost of living.
| Percentile | Nominal Salary | COL-Adjusted | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (P10) | $28,690 | $32,454 | +$3,764 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $30,360 | $34,343 | +$3,983 |
| Median (P50) | $35,670 | $40,350 | +$4,680 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $38,180 | $43,190 | +$5,010 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $44,460 | $50,294 | +$5,834 |
A Cooks, Restaurant in Iowa earns $35,670 on paper, but low living costs mean your money goes 13% further — like earning $40,350 in an average-cost state. This makes Iowa one of the best value states for this occupation.
Iowa's Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 88.4 means a basket of goods and services costs about 11.6% less than the national average. For a Cooks, Restaurant, every dollar earned effectively buys more here than in a 100-RPP state.
Adjusting $35,670 for Iowa's cost of living yields $40,351 — a 13.1% gain in real purchasing power. This magnitude usually reflects either a materially cheaper or materially pricier metro mix than the national average.
Iowa sits at #14 of 51 states for Cooks, Restaurant COL-adjusted salary — comfortably above the national midpoint.
Where does Cooks, Restaurant salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Iowa ranks #14 out of 51 states for Cooks, Restaurant after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Cooks, Restaurant take-home pay in Iowa after taxes →
A Cooks, Restaurant in Iowa earns a median salary of $35,670 per year. After adjusting for Iowa's cost of living (RPP=88.4), the real purchasing power is $40,350 — a +13.1% difference.
Iowa's cost of living is 11.6% lower than the national average according to the BEA Regional Price Parities (2022). The RPP index for Iowa is 88.4 (US average = 100).
Regional Price Parities (RPPs) are price indexes published by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) that measure differences in price levels across states. They are expressed as a percentage of the national average (US = 100). Higher RPP means higher cost of living.
The adjusted salary is calculated as: Nominal Salary x (100 / RPP). For a Cooks, Restaurant in Iowa: $35,670 x (100 / 88.4) = $40,350. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
From a purchasing power perspective, yes. A Cooks, Restaurant in Iowa enjoys 13.1% more buying power than the nominal salary suggests, because living costs are below the national average. However, other factors like job availability, career growth, and quality of life also matter.
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