Cost of living comparison
compared to
Plano vs. Des Moines Cost of Living Summary
Plano is 17.3% more expensive than Des Moines.
Plano vs. Des Moines Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Plano instead of Des Moines, you would:
pay 2.7% more for restaurants
Des Moines | Plano | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $17.00 | $20.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.00 | $10.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.61 | $2.75 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.15 | $2.25 | |
Des Moines vs. Plano - Cost of restaurants
pay 32.7% more for groceries
Des Moines | Plano | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.03 | $2.95 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.36 | $6.58 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.56 | $3.63 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $3.61 | $4.85 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $3.67 | $5.88 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.77 | $2.68 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.65 | $0.56 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.66 | $2.03 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.59 | $2.31 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.75 | $1.66 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.36 | $1.83 | |
Des Moines vs. Plano - Cost of groceries
pay 40.2% more for transportation
Des Moines | Plano | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $2.93 | $2.83 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $58.00 | $105.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $26,000.00 | $36,755.39 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $11.94 | $16.92 | |
Des Moines vs. Plano - Cost of transportation
pay 22.6% more for housing
Des Moines | Plano | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $57.86 | $54.17 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,214.00 | $1,560.57 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $912.50 | $1,250.00 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $108.83 | $143.16 | |
Des Moines vs. Plano - Cost of housing
pay 18.2% more for childcare
Des Moines | Plano | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,369.17 | $1,151.88 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $11,812.00 | $18,000.00 | |
Des Moines vs. Plano - Cost of childcare
pay 3.8% more for entertainment and sports
Des Moines | Plano | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $5.00 | $6.90 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.47 | $4.94 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $7.14 | $10.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $71.67 | $37.50 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $15.00 | $14.75 | |
Des Moines vs. Plano - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.1% more for clothing
Des Moines | Plano | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $56.67 | $55.69 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $41.00 | $38.33 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $73.00 | $86.25 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $138.33 | $130.88 | |
Des Moines vs. Plano - 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: June 2026
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