Cost of living comparison
compared to
Des Moines vs. Chicago Cost of Living Summary
Des Moines is 25.1% cheaper than Chicago.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.1% less in Des Moines
- Groceries
-
pay 20.6% less in Des Moines
- Transportation
-
pay 22.6% less in Des Moines
- Housing
-
pay 32.8% less in Des Moines
- Childcare
-
pay 51.5% less in Des Moines
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 20.9% less in Des Moines
- Clothing
-
pay 15.3% less in Des Moines
Expenses including childcare, housing, transportation, entertainment and sports, groceries, and clothing are lower in Des Moines.
Des Moines vs. Chicago Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Des Moines instead of Chicago, you would:
pay 12.1% less for restaurants
|
Chicago
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.50
|
$17.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.96
|
$2.61
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.33
|
$2.15
|
|
Chicago vs. Des Moines - Cost of restaurants
pay 20.6% less for groceries
|
Chicago
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.01
|
$3.03
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.05
|
$6.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.30
|
$3.56
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.02
|
$3.61
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.55
|
$3.67
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$1.77
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.79
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.85
|
$1.66
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.09
|
$1.59
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$0.75
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.26
|
$1.36
|
|
Chicago vs. Des Moines - Cost of groceries
pay 22.6% less for transportation
|
Chicago
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.81
|
$2.93
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$75.00
|
$58.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,691.85
|
$26,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.43
|
$11.94
|
|
Chicago vs. Des Moines - Cost of transportation
pay 32.8% less for housing
|
Chicago
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.83
|
$57.86
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,418.00
|
$1,214.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,692.50
|
$912.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.41
|
$108.83
|
|
Chicago vs. Des Moines - Cost of housing
pay 51.5% less for childcare
|
Chicago
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,050.00
|
$1,369.17
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$39,114.29
|
$11,812.00
|
|
Chicago vs. Des Moines - Cost of childcare
pay 20.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Chicago
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.53
|
$5.47
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$17.00
|
$7.14
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$71.80
|
$71.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$18.00
|
$15.00
|
|
Chicago vs. Des Moines - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 15.3% less for clothing
|
Chicago
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.24
|
$56.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$49.62
|
$41.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.48
|
$73.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$146.50
|
$138.33
|
|
Chicago 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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