Cost of living comparison
compared to
Des Moines vs. College Park Cost of Living Summary
Des Moines is 21.1% cheaper than College Park.
Des Moines vs. College Park Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Des Moines instead of College Park, you would:
pay 23.4% more for restaurants
|
College Park
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.00
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.70
|
$3.00
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.75
|
$2.49
|
|
College Park vs. Des Moines - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.2% less for groceries
|
College Park
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.56
|
$2.95
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.14
|
$4.77
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.35
|
$3.38
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.03
|
$3.93
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.00
|
$4.39
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.99
|
$2.01
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.58
|
$0.70
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$3.33
|
$2.01
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.50
|
$1.70
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.25
|
$1.43
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.50
|
$1.00
|
|
College Park vs. Des Moines - Cost of groceries
pay 6.5% less for transportation
|
College Park
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.59
|
$3.71
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$58.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,227.00
|
$35,052.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.16
|
$11.94
|
|
College Park vs. Des Moines - Cost of transportation
pay 48.4% less for housing
|
College Park
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.33
|
$71.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,283.33
|
$1,161.80
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,100.00
|
$864.75
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$185.44
|
$143.28
|
|
College Park vs. Des Moines - Cost of housing
pay 40.8% less for childcare
|
College Park
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,000.00
|
$1,183.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | ?? |
$11,812.00
|
|
College Park vs. Des Moines - Cost of childcare
pay 11.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
College Park
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.50
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.50
|
$6.00
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.11
|
$8.03
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$40.00
|
$63.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$15.00
|
|
College Park vs. Des Moines - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.5% more for clothing
|
College Park
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.50
|
$60.68
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.50
|
$43.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$118.33
|
$103.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$134.75
|
$145.78
|
|
College Park vs. Des Moines - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: College Park vs. Des Moines
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Des Moines or College Park. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.