What does a Physicists salary really buy you in Iowa?
Iowa is 11.6% cheaper than the US averageData: BLS OEWS 2024 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-03-31
Iowa's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 88.4, meaning prices are 11.6% lower the national average. A Physicists earning $120,810 in Iowa has the equivalent purchasing power of $136,662 in an average-cost US state.
A Physicists in Iowa earns $120,810 on paper, but low living costs mean your money goes 13% further — like earning $136,662 in an average-cost state. This makes Iowa one of the best value states for this occupation.
Where does Physicists salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Iowa ranks #29 out of 39 states for Physicists after cost-of-living adjustment.
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A Physicists in Iowa earns a median salary of $120,810 per year. After adjusting for Iowa's cost of living (RPP=88.4), the real purchasing power is $136,662 — 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 Physicists in Iowa: $120,810 x (100 / 88.4) = $136,662. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
From a purchasing power perspective, yes. A Physicists 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.