Whether you are on a teaching or research assistantship, your salary at Iowa State will cover all of your expenses and your cost of living overall is much cheaper than other university towns. When you factor in the low cost of living to the excellent education outcomes, you will quickly see that an Iowa State Engineering degree is cost effective!
Use any cost of living website and expenses calculators you want but you will notice that Ames, Iowa generally comes in about 10% less expensive to surrounding state’s university cities and 50% or more compared to U.S. cities on the east or west coast. As an example, the cost of living comparison calculator on www.bestplaces.net will show you that a $30,000 engineering assistantship salary would cost you more in the following university cities.
| $30, 000 | in Ames, IA is comparable to |
| $35,171 | in Madison, WI |
| $37,388 | in Minneapolis, MN |
| $41,756 | in Austin, TX |
| $43,298 | in Evanston, IL |
| $60,032 | in Boulder, CO |
| $65,107 | in Cambridge, MA |
| $65,525 | in Seattle, WA |
| $69,668 | in Pasadena, CA |