Cost of living comparison
compared to
Des Moines vs. Berlin Cost of Living Summary
Des Moines is 36.5% more expensive than Berlin.
- Restaurants
-
pay 16.8% less in Des Moines
- Groceries
-
pay 2.1% more in Des Moines
- Transportation
-
pay 40.0% less in Des Moines
- Housing
-
pay 18.8% less in Des Moines
- Childcare
-
pay 4.3 times more in Des Moines
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 14.8% more in Des Moines
- Clothing
-
pay 17.6% less in Des Moines
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Des Moines are more expensive than in Berlin. Expenses including transportation, housing, clothing, and restaurants are lower in Des Moines. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Des Moines.
Des Moines vs. Berlin Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Des Moines instead of Berlin, you would:
pay 16.8% less for restaurants
|
Berlin
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.52
€15.05
|
$17.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.55
€11.64
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.49
€3.00
|
$2.61
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.98
€2.56
|
$2.15
|
|
Berlin vs. Des Moines - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.1% more for groceries
|
Berlin
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.25
€1.94
|
$3.03
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.10
€6.10
|
$6.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.13
€4.41
|
$3.56
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.88
€3.33
|
$3.61
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.52
€4.74
|
$3.67
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.54
€1.33
|
$1.77
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.94
€0.80
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.20
€1.03
|
$1.66
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.76
€1.51
|
$1.59
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.91
€0.78
|
$0.75
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.78
€0.67
|
$1.36
|
|
Berlin vs. Des Moines - Cost of groceries
pay 40.0% less for transportation
|
Berlin
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.52
€6.46
|
$2.93
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$68.91
€59.18
|
$58.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,702.07
€28,084.89
|
$26,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$32.00
€27.48
|
$11.94
|
|
Berlin vs. Des Moines - Cost of transportation
pay 18.8% less for housing
|
Berlin
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$50.32
€43.22
|
$57.86
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,427.12
€1,225.63
|
$1,214.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,068.35
€917.51
|
$912.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$277.09
€237.97
|
$108.83
|
|
Berlin vs. Des Moines - Cost of housing
pay 4.3 times more for childcare
|
Berlin
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$184.92
€158.81
|
$1,369.17
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,579.95
€8,227.37
|
$11,812.00
|
|
Berlin vs. Des Moines - Cost of childcare
pay 14.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Berlin
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.26
€4.51
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.45
€3.82
|
$5.47
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.16
€8.73
|
$7.14
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.79
€33.31
|
$71.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.89
€12.79
|
$15.00
|
|
Berlin vs. Des Moines - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 17.6% less for clothing
|
Berlin
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$93.79
€80.55
|
$56.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.63
€37.47
|
$41.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$106.67
€91.61
|
$73.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$129.59
€111.30
|
$138.33
|
|
Berlin vs. Des Moines - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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