Cost of living comparison
compared to
Des Moines vs. Hong Kong Cost of Living Summary
Des Moines is 3.7% more expensive than Hong Kong.
- Restaurants
-
pay 95.8% more in Des Moines
- Groceries
-
pay 10.5% less in Des Moines
- Transportation
-
pay 35.0% less in Des Moines
- Housing
-
pay 6.9% more in Des Moines
- Childcare
-
pay 7.5% less in Des Moines
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.3% less in Des Moines
- Clothing
-
pay 12.5% less in Des Moines
The cost of restaurants and housing in Des Moines are more expensive than in Hong Kong. Expenses including transportation, clothing, entertainment and sports, groceries, and childcare are lower in Des Moines. Notably, restaurants is significantly more expensive in Des Moines.
Des Moines vs. Hong Kong Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Des Moines instead of Hong Kong, you would:
pay 95.8% more for restaurants
|
Hong Kong
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.91
HK$61.52
|
$17.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.43
HK$50.01
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.39
HK$10.81
|
$2.61
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.11
HK$8.66
|
$2.15
|
|
Hong Kong vs. Des Moines - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.5% less for groceries
|
Hong Kong
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.19
HK$17.05
|
$3.03
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$12.44
HK$96.81
|
$6.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$11.75
HK$91.42
|
$3.56
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
HK$27.36
|
$3.61
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.85
HK$37.74
|
$3.67
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.57
HK$12.18
|
$1.77
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.09
HK$8.46
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.62
HK$12.62
|
$1.66
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.39
HK$10.78
|
$1.59
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.10
HK$8.56
|
$0.75
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.06
HK$8.24
|
$1.36
|
|
Hong Kong vs. Des Moines - Cost of groceries
pay 35.0% less for transportation
|
Hong Kong
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$11.90
HK$92.58
|
$2.93
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$67.49
HK$525.15
|
$58.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$38,564.70
HK$300,085.46
|
$26,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.53
HK$113.03
|
$11.94
|
|
Hong Kong vs. Des Moines - Cost of transportation
pay 6.9% more for housing
|
Hong Kong
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$22.19
HK$172.67
|
$57.86
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,349.29
HK$18,280.63
|
$1,214.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,688.04
HK$13,135.21
|
$912.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$177.52
HK$1,381.38
|
$108.83
|
|
Hong Kong vs. Des Moines - Cost of housing
pay 7.5% less for childcare
|
Hong Kong
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,038.61
HK$8,081.78
|
$1,369.17
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,248.89
HK$173,126.37
|
$11,812.00
|
|
Hong Kong vs. Des Moines - Cost of childcare
pay 11.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
Hong Kong
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.48
HK$50.45
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.23
HK$40.70
|
$5.47
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.11
HK$102.03
|
$7.14
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$79.18
HK$616.09
|
$71.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.85
HK$100.03
|
$15.00
|
|
Hong Kong vs. Des Moines - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.5% less for clothing
|
Hong Kong
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$74.06
HK$576.31
|
$56.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.18
HK$328.19
|
$41.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.97
HK$715.69
|
$73.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$142.80
HK$1,111.14
|
$138.33
|
|
Hong Kong 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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