Cost of living comparison
compared to
Providence vs. Des Moines Cost of Living Summary
Providence is 34.3% more expensive than Des Moines.
Providence vs. Des Moines Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Providence instead of Des Moines, you would:
pay 3.1% less for restaurants
|
Des Moines
|
Providence
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$18.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$13.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.00
|
$2.90
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.49
|
$2.00
|
|
Des Moines vs. Providence - Cost of restaurants
pay 19.9% more for groceries
|
Des Moines
|
Providence
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.95
|
$3.27
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.77
|
$5.64
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.38
|
$3.94
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.93
|
$4.80
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.39
|
$6.50
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.01
|
$2.19
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.70
|
$0.64
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.01
|
$2.50
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.70
|
$2.14
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.43
|
$1.46
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.00
|
$1.65
|
|
Des Moines vs. Providence - Cost of groceries
pay 12.4% more for transportation
|
Des Moines
|
Providence
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.71
|
$4.03
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$58.00
|
$70.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,052.00
|
$36,344.34
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$11.94
|
$16.15
|
|
Des Moines vs. Providence - Cost of transportation
pay 2.0 times more for housing
|
Des Moines
|
Providence
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$71.15
|
$85.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,161.80
|
$2,427.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$864.75
|
$1,903.33
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$143.28
|
$243.64
|
|
Des Moines vs. Providence - Cost of housing
pay 34.8% more for childcare
|
Des Moines
|
Providence
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,183.50
|
$1,493.75
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$11,812.00
|
$17,000.00
|
|
Des Moines vs. Providence - Cost of childcare
pay 0.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Des Moines
|
Providence
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.00
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.00
|
$5.47
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.03
|
$13.43
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.75
|
$56.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$14.88
|
|
Des Moines vs. Providence - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 19.2% less for clothing
|
Des Moines
|
Providence
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.68
|
$54.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.33
|
$38.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$103.00
|
$80.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$145.78
|
$100.00
|
|
Des Moines vs. Providence - 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: Des Moines vs. Providence
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 Providence or Des Moines. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.